That's Showbiz!
by Veronica The Mischievous
Summary: Set in an AU. Kotetsu is a retired showbiz veteran that was once a "song and dance man" in a famed dancing duo with his wife Tomoe. Nowadays he's just trying to get by in life while trying to be a good father. However fate takes a sudden turn in a whole new direction when he's challenged by a handsome blonde with glasses. Now Kotetsu finds himself dragged back in the showbiz game.
1. You've Got You and Me

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 1  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 2161  
**Pairing:** Kotetsu x Tomoe  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a steampunk early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger & Bunny. Tiger & Bunny belongs to Sunrise and their respective owners.  
**VTM:** I regret nothing. :3

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. Please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU, so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea then I'd advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that you enjoy the show!

-o-o-

It was safe to say that there weren't a lot of places like Sternbild, a shining metropolis, decorated in lights that glittered like jewels. It had buildings that reached for the heavens, and towering statues of creatures and gods that have been all but forgotten in an age of science, reason, and even madness. Sternbild was a city of dreams, many would go there looking to make their fortunes, some were just passing through, fleeing their homelands and seeing the city as a gateway to a new world and a new life, and others would come seeking fickle things like fame, love, and power. But despite all the promises the city would whisper to those that would come to it, there was also a dark side with all the splendor and grandeur. It was easy to lose yourself in such a city, to have their light and all that made them human, snuffed out. Those very whispers of promises of fame, wealth, power, and love could easily lead a person into the crushing darkness that the city kept well hidden with its beauty.

Sternbild was a truly a city of dreams, just as much as it was also a city of nightmares.

The low rumble of thunder could be heard echoing through the sky, it had been raining the entire day. Threatening to storm; but never quite getting to that point. Raindrops hit against panes of glass in the windows of one of the practice rooms of a theater. Music was playing from an old record player; it was a jolly old ragtime tune. Two people were tap dancing to the music; the two were performers that were practicing a routine for the show there were to be performing in a show that was being held in the theater. One was a young woman with long dark brown hair and fair skin. Her dancing partner was a tan, young man, his hair was somewhat wild and was just short of shoulder length, and he had a pair of striking eyes that were the color of honey.

The pair danced very well together, their moves were in timed well, save for a few stylistic differences, and they seemed to instinctively know what to do when the other improvised a part or two. The young woman then jumped into the young man's arms, he then held her aloft as she stuck a graceful pose. She set down, but she held onto her partner's hand for longer than she meant to and accidentally threw off her partner's balance. One of the young man's tap shoes then suddenly slipped and he landed hard on the floor.

"Come on Kotetsu! You're not even trying!" the woman scolded her dancing partner. "We have a show tomorrow, so we have to be sure that we get this right, especially since there are going to be critics there. If we get a good review it could give us a good boost."

Kotetsu took a moment to fix himself into a seated position. "You know Tomoe, it probably wouldn't have happened if you didn't throw me off balance like that!"

"Don't blame me for your mistakes, you should have been ready." Tomoe said with a small huff. She was nervous; it was going to be a big show for the both of them. Tomoe knew Kotetsu was capable; the two of them had been performing together as a team for a couple years now. But lately something seemed to be distracting her partner and it had her worried.

"It was your mistake this time!" Kotetsu said in a more stern tone. "I'm not mad or anything, but you've been a little flaky lately. Are you okay?" He then suddenly received a wrap on the head from his partner. "Ow!"

"I am not a flake! And I'm fine; I've just had some things on my mind lately." Tomoe admitted. "And you're one to talk! You've been acting really strange lately, and it's starting to show in your dancing."

"W-well that's…That's another matter entirely!" Kotetsu said nervously, he then looked away from Tomoe.

"Ben's been saying you've been running off with Antonio a lot lately too." Tomoe pointed out. "You two better not be causing trouble, remember what happened last time? You both ended up in the police station holding cell and it took both of our pay to get you both out of there."

"Well you didn't **have** to pay for Antonio…" Kotetsu grumbled as he thought back on that miserable little incident.

"He's my friend too, Kotetsu." Tomoe said with frown. "We're all friends; neither of us would have left you to rot in there."

"…Yeah, I know." Kotetsu was then quiet for a moment, soon he gave a sigh. "Antonio's been helping me with something, that's all." He finally admitted. "I'm not telling you what it is yet."

Tomoe pursed her lips, Kotetsu keeping secrets like this was nothing new, but she still wished he'd tell her what was going on. To be honest, she was getting a little worried that he was searching for a new act. Tomoe would notice Kotetsu talking with Ben or with other agents that were seeking talent for them to represent. Tomoe would get plenty of offers too, some were even really tempting, shows on Broadway, opportunities to join famous dance companies, things that she used to dream about when she was still in dance school. But Tomoe wasn't going to just leave the act and she what she had with Kotetsu. They had worked so hard to get as good as they were now, they were a team, perhaps even something more than even that.

"Hello? Tomoe? Tomoe!" Kotetsu said as he snapped his fingers in front of the woman, he looked a little worried.

"W-what?" Tomoe said with a blink.

"You were starting to scare me a little there; you just went off into some dreamland." Kotetsu said with a weary smile. "I'm sorry for all the trouble, I'll work harder. But are you okay? If there's something on your mind, you can tell me, you know?"

"You're not exactly an open book yourself, Kotetsu." Tomoe pointed out. "You never like talking about your own problems, but you keep getting involved in everyone else's. Don't you think you're being a bit of a hypocrite?"

"Ouch, right where it hurts." Kotetsu said as he held a hand over his heart in mock pain. "You are so ruthless!"

Tomoe frowned at her partner's childish behavior. "And you're still a silly clown."

"Heh, I guess the circus never really leaves you." Kotetsu said with a small smile. However his tone betrayed him, it gave away that Tomoe hit a nerve.

There was then a long, awkward silence between the two. Tomoe bit her lip, she wanted to apologize, but at the same time she was being stubborn.

Kotetsu wasn't too proud of his earliest days in show business as a dancing circus clown. It wasn't as prestigious as going to a professional school of dance like Tomoe had the chance of doing. Kotetsu had to learn what he could from other performers back stage of the circus and vaudeville shows he'd do on the side. While he was proud of the fact that he was able to do it himself, in a line of work like show business people were more likely to laugh at such a background; even if many of the stars had similar backgrounds themselves. Show business took a lot of work and dedication, but it was also very vain and petty at the same time. Kotetsu had enough of being laughed at as a clown, so when Ben Jackson, an agent looking for some talent, approached him about forming an act with another dancer that would focus on tap and ballroom dancing he jumped at the opportunity. And that was how everything between him and Tomoe started.

"Hey Tomoe, how long have we been partners in this act?" Kotetsu asked suddenly.

Tomoe looked at Kotetsu a little surprised. "What brought that up?"

Kotetsu smiled a little. "I just want to know, I guess. Is that a crime?"

"I'd say about over two years now." Tomoe said in a matter of fact tone. She turned away from Kotetsu, her expression softened a little. Kotetsu had been asking all sorts of strange questions at the strangest times lately, it only continued to feed her suspicions that things between them were coming to an end. Tomoe remembered Kotetsu asking things such as how she felt about them being partners or why she's been turning down other more well paying contracts. She tried asking Ben what was the reason for Kotetsu's behavior, but he'd suddenly clam up and tell her it'd be best if she asked Kotetsu about it herself.

Tomoe tried to avoid that option for a while, but now was as good a time as any to get to the bottom of this. Even if it was an answer she didn't want to hear. "What's been with you lately? You've been acting stranger than usual; you've been messing up more during practice and asking all sorts of strange questions. Just tell me already, it's driving me crazy!"

Kotetsu seemed a little surprised that she brought the subject up; he then seemed to think it over for a moment. "Well, I've been just thinking, we've been together for some time now. Both of our careers are starting to take off." He then laughed a little at some of the memories. "It sure wasn't easy though, we argued quite a bit at the beginning. But you always kept me on track. I know I complained a lot, but I really appreciated it. When I think about it, I probably wouldn't have even gotten this far without you."

Tomoe felt her heart beat quicken slightly, she was starting to feel a little flattered and nervous at the same time. Hearing that he appreciated what she did meant a lot, especially since she'd worry a little if she was a little too harsh with him at times. But the unnerving part of what was being said was that Kotetsu was talking about things in all past tense. Did that mean that he didn't feel the same way anymore?

"We've been together for a good while now, I kind of want to try a new kind of partner-" Kotetsu stopped when he heard Tomoe sniffle. "H-hey, are you…are you crying? Why?"

Tomoe's face was red with her blushing; she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "…I don't want to break up our act." she finally said.

"…Huh?" Kotetsu looked completely confused. "Who said anything about that?"

Tomoe frowned and gave a stubborn sniffle. "That's what you've been trying to talk to me about all this time, wasn't it?"

"What? No! No! No! I've been trying to find a way to ask if you'd marry me!" Kotetsu froze for a second after the words left him. He then clapped a hand over his mouth, that wasn't exactly the way he wanted to tell her.

"W-what did you say?" Tomoe's eyes went wide; it took a moment for what she heard to click. "Marry you?"

It was then Kotetsu's turn to blush; he then scratched the back of his head and looked away from her. "S-so no, I wasn't thinking about breaking up the act. I was thinking that we could make it a more "permanent partnership"." He then bit his bottom lip, saying this was more painful than he thought it would be. He couldn't help but think that he probably sounded really corny.

Tomoe was quiet for a while, she no longer looked like she was about to cry, but she had an unreadable look on her face.

Kotetsu scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous, half laugh. "So I guess that must be a "no" then, huh?" He felt a little sick to his stomach, he was sure he had messed things up pretty good this time. But then Kotetsu found himself caught up in a sudden hug.

"Of course I will you idiot!" Tomoe said against him. She then pulled away a little so she could look Kotetsu in the eye. "But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, so come on, let's finish practice and we'll talk more about this, okay?"

Kotetsu blinked, looking a little dumbfounded. He couldn't help but laugh, he was so relieved. "I wouldn't want you to be any other way." He then leaned in and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "It's you and me, right?"

"That's right." Tomoe couldn't help but blush a little again; she then got back up on her feet. "Okay, enough of this mushy business! We got a crowd to wow tomorrow, so we have to get this routine right!" She then looked down at Kotetsu. "After all, we'll be debuting as the future Mrs. and Mr. Kaburagi!"

-End of Chapter-

**Author's Note:** If this chapter seems a little different than before, that's because I went through some of the previous chapters and gave them each some updates. Things from corrections, added and improved scenes, and better details. If you are rereading the fic, it might be a smoother read and maybe a little more fun. If you're new to the story, I hope that you will enjoy it! Thank you for reading!


	2. Nothing Lasts Forever

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 2  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 2063  
**Pairing:** Kotetsu x Tomoe  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a steampunk early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger & Bunny. Tiger & Bunny belongs to Sunrise and their respective owners.  
**VTM:** Making more updates.

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. Please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU, so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea then I'd advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that you enjoy the show!

-o-o-

It had been a rough night, Kotetsu was just returning home from a show. The audience wasn't very big and even less easy to entertain unless they managed to hit you with a vegetable or managed to heckle you to the point where you'd leave the stage. Things just weren't the same; show business in general seemed to be going into a slump. Motion pictures and the world of song and dance were at odds with each other, in some cases the two would go hand in hand, but that left things like vaudeville to slowly wither to death. Sure he had gotten offers for legitimate and well paying jobs, however they'd take him far from Sternbild and Kotetsu couldn't leave the city, not with things as they were. The offers were slowly drying up though; Kotetsu was running out of options since the name Kaburagi was slowly fading from the show business circles.

Kotetsu stopped at the doorstep of his home, taking a moment to brush off a piece of tomato that he had somehow missed that was stuck to the sleeve of his jacket. He, Tomoe, and their daughter Kaede had all lived together in a quaint two story house. They had bought the place before Kaede was born, figuring that they needed to give the baby and themselves a steady place to call home and return to when they weren't traveling. It beat having to live in hotel suites all the time and there was a certain feeling of security when you had a place to call your own. The Kaburagi's even turned the basement into a practice studio so they could stay sharp on their routines. They were even starting to show little Kaede some of the basics. It truly was perfect.

But that was all before Tomoe had slowly become ill.

Upon entering the house, Kotetsu could hear chopping in the kitchen and smell something good was cooking. He headed for the kitchen door and went inside half hoping to see Tomoe there, the other half know just who was probably there.

"Oh, so you're back already, Kotetsu?" It was his mother, Anju Kaburagi, a resilient and independent woman that was well known for her "no nonsense" outlook on life. She and Kotetsu's older brother, Muramasa, owned a liquor store in the city. Anju would come to Kotetsu and Tomoe's house to help care for Tomoe and look after Kaede while Kotetsu did touring or performed locally. "I've put Kaede to bed already, and also Tomoe had another check up today."

Kotetsu looked uneasy. "How did it go?"

"So far there's not too much change in her condition, but they said that it seems like it is starting to get worse and more than likely won't be improving." Anju said solemnly. "I don't think I have to tell you what that probably means."

Kotetsu was quiet for a while. He'd be lying if he said that that thought wasn't in the back of his mind. It was a little fear that would slowly gnaw at him when he thought about his wife's condition. The longer she went without showing signs of getting better, the more that fear grew, Kotetsu would try to stamp it out with reassurances that Tomoe was a tenacious woman and with a drink or three at one of the local bars with their old friend, Antonio. But that thought would still come back and fester like an infection.

"Ignoring it won't make it better, Kotetsu." Anju suddenly said, snapping her son from his thoughts. "I think it's time that you start preparing for the worst and start to get your affairs in order."

"Like what, mom? Funeral arrangements?" It's possibly still a little too early to tell if she's really going to die and your acting like it's time to bury her!" Kotetsu snapped. He was suddenly met with a stinging slap to the face. On reflex Kotetsu held a hand to his reddened cheek. He was met with a stern glare from his mother.

"Don't you ever raise your voice like that to your own mother, I taught you to be better than that!" Anju said in a strict tone. "I don't care how old or strong you think you are, I will knock you into next week if you are that disrespectful to me again."

Kotetsu remained silent; he averted his eyes to avoid the woman's harsh eyes. He would half admit that he probably had it coming; he didn't mean to snap at her like that. Kotetsu was just on edge, the worse Tomoe's condition became, the more opportunities Kotetsu would turn down to stay closer to or in the city and now he was stuck taking up small gigs in the vaudeville circuit.

"And I wasn't exactly talking about funeral arrangements, though you may want to keep those in mind. I was talking about you finding a new line of work. You've stopped taking contracts and shows that would take you out of state because of Tomoe's health, and these shows at the smaller theaters have you making a fool of yourself more than anything. You should consider looking for something more stable, Kotetsu." Anju said keeping a firm tone present in her voice. "Something less sporadic and fickle as theater. You could work for your brother or maybe get a factory job."

"Let's not talk about this right now, mom." Kotetsu said suddenly. He was mindful of his own tone, not wanting to earn anymore of his mother's wrath. "I'll look into my options, but right now I need some time to think about things."

"You have a daughter to think about Kotetsu, I'd think that should be enough on its own to bring you to your senses." Anju said with a sigh. "You're such a troublesome son sometimes."

"I'm going to go talk to Tomoe now." And with that Kotetsu left his mother and the kitchen and headed for the stairs to the second floor of the house. Tomoe was to be kept in a separate room from Kotetsu's by orders of the doctor. Both for her health and for what Kotetsu suspected, to help prepare him for the worst.

"Hello darling..." Kotetsu said as he walked into Tomoe's room. He was greeted by a warm smile from his wife. He walked over to her bed, leaned in, and gave her a loving kiss on the cheek. "How is the world's loveliest woman today?"

Tomoe shook her head at the silly man and laughed a little. "You're so corny."

"Corny? Or dashingly charming?" Kotetsu said with a grin and a wink.

"Nope, you're just corny." Tomoe said with the sassiest smile she could muster.

"Ouch, as usual, you get me right where it hurts!" Kotetsu said dramatically as he held a hand over his heart in mock pain.

Tomoe couldn't help but laugh at the show her husband had put on for her.

Kotetsu smiled; glad to see his wife in good spirits. But that smile faded when he noticed Tomoe started to have a coughing fit. "Tomoe?!" He reached out and rubbed her back; like he was told to if she had fits like these and soon the coughing had subsided. "I-I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay, I've been doing pretty well today, Kotetsu, there's no need for you to be all worried." Tomoe said reassuringly. "I'm not made of glass; I'm not going to break so easily."

"Of course I know that, show business has made you tough as nails." Kotetsu said, trying to sound confident, the act could've fooled anyone with an untrained eye for such things.

"Kotetsu, we've been married for over five years now, I know you very well by now." Tomoe said with a weary smile. "I know you're mother probably told you about the doctor's visit today. I could tell the moment you came into my room."

"It was that obvious, huh?" Kotetsu said with a small, forced laugh.

Tomoe gave a weary smile. "The red cheek on your face did kind of give it away."

"Yeah, our talk didn't exactly go over too well." Kotetsu said, he had become a little more sullen at this point. There was no point in hiding how he really felt around Tomoe, it was something he'd do on instinct and it'd fool almost everyone else except her. She'd often joke with him, telling him he could be an actor with the masks he could put up for people.

"Come over here Kotetsu..." Tomoe said as she patted a spot next to her on her bed.

The bed was a little too small to seat the both of them comfortably, so Kotetsu opted for pulling up a chair next to her bed and laying his head on his folded arms that he rested on the bedside. Tomoe then started to run her fingers through Kotetsu's hair, scratching his scalp gently. Kotetsu loved it when Tomoe would scratch his head like this; his body gave a slight shiver and soon a sense of ease went through him, as if she were sending all the dark thoughts that had been in his mind away.

"How was the show, dear?" Tomoe asked. "I want to hear all about it."

"I did pretty well I think. But, I don't attract as many crowds as the younger talent do." Kotetsu said as he gave a weary smile. "You know how it is these days; vaudeville and theater aren't exactly the same as they used to be. Either that or I'm getting a little too old for the game."

"Oh hush, you!" Tomoe said with a stubborn look on her face. "There are performers that are twice your age out there, and they can still dance circles around some of these rookies."

Kotetsu laughed, it was the first time he genuinely laughed that day. "Maybe, but it's just that it's not really the same without you there dancing with me." He smiled as he thought about the good old days, when he and Tomoe would travel across the country together, performing for some of the biggest theaters. "We'd really pack them in the seats then."

Tomoe smiled as she thought back on those times. "I know, I remember. We were nicknamed the "Dancing Lovers", you were "the man with the agility and strength of a tiger" and I was "the woman with the grace and beauty of a swan"." She then gave a small laugh. "Leave it to Ben to come up with such things."

"I thought you came up with the "tiger" thing?" Kotetsu said with a smirk. "You said I was a lot stronger than I looked."

"Oh, that's right! I did! Ben just came up with the "Dancing Lovers" name. Which means...You came up with the hackneyed "swan" nonsense!" Tomoe smiled as she ruffled Kotetsu's hair. "Honestly, you are so silly sometimes!"

Kotetsu could only smile, still enjoying the feel of Tomoe scratching his head and playing with his hair.

"But, I still love that about you. You're a silly, but charming man." Tomoe said with a little somberness in her voice. "I've never regretted having you as my husband."

Kotetsu stayed quiet, he was very thankful to hear her say that, but it also left him sad as well. Tomoe must have accepted her fate and now he had to as well. Kotetsu hated feeling so powerless, especially when it involved someone that he had grown to love so dearly. He wouldn't dare show any emotion right now, he didn't want Tomoe to know how her words had left him so torn.

"Your mother was telling me that I should try to convince you to leave show business, especially with the way things are going." Tomoe said with a weary smile. "But, I'd like it if you somehow kept dancing, even if it's not on stage in front of a cheering audience, even if it's just for those times when you feel nostalgic. And whenever you do, try to think of me and you, and all the good times we had together."

Without a word Kotetsu sat himself up in his chair, took Tomoe's hand, pressed it to his lips, and gave it a small kiss. It was a silent agreement, because words were both too hard to form and yet were unneeded by that point.

-End of Chapter-


	3. Fallen Star

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 3  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 2020  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger & Bunny. Tiger & Bunny belongs to Sunrise and their respective owners.  
**VTM:** I lost my internet for a good while, and this is what happened. :I

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. Please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU, so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea then I'd advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that you enjoy the show!

-o-o-

"One…Two…Three…Four…One…Two…Three…Four…" Kotetsu called out in a dispassionate tone as he clapped his hands along to the beat.

Old ragtime tunes cheerfully played from a record player as a line of students were trying to practice some of the basics of tap dancing. Some ungracefully failed, others actually did pretty well, and a few didn't even seem to be trying at all. It was times like these that Kotetsu found he was a little disappointed in the youth of this age. He couldn't help but wonder if half the class even wanted to learn how to dance to begin with.

"Okay, okay, stop! Just stop!" Kotetsu called out suddenly. He then waited for the all of the students to stop before he continued. "Okay, be honest with me here, how many of you are here because your parents forced you to be here?" As he expected, about little over half the class raised their hands. "Okay, you guys don't come back, I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do for you. Meanwhile, those of you that are actually here to learn something be here at the usual time tomorrow. Class dismissed!"

There was a mix of grumbles, cheers, and insults aimed at the dance teacher could be heard as the students exited the class room. As the students left, a pair of kids peered into the class room. One was a boy in their late teens; he had a pale complexion, platinum blonde hair, and violet eyes that matched his violet jacket. The other was a short girl in her earlier teens; she had fetching green eyes, dirty blonde hair, and was dressed in a yellow track suit. They were both students of the Apollon School of Dance, sent there by their agents to improve their skills.

"Should we really be bothering him right now Pao-Lin?" the boy asked. "Mr. Kaburagi seems a bit irritated right now."

"Oh come on Ivan, of course now is a good time!" Pao-Lin said with a cheeky smile. "We can try to cheer him up!"

"Oi, what are you two doing here?" Kotetsu called out when he spotted him. "Shouldn't you both be in ballet class or something?"

"Hi Kotetsu!" Pao-Lin said with a grin as she walked into the room.

"That's "Mr. Kaburagi" to you, little mouse…" Kotetsu said as he ruffled the girl's hair.

"Nyeh~! You're not my teacher, so I don't have to call you that. I like your first name better anyways!" Pao-Lin then playfully stuck her tongue out at the teacher.

"You're lucky that I like you, out else I would have just tossed you out of here." Kotetsu said as he shook his head at the girl.

"Like you tossed out half of your class?" Ivan chimed in. He was then startled by the looks he was given by both Lin and Kotetsu.

"Ivan, that was just too soon." Pao-Lin said in a flat tone. "You need to learn better timing."

"M-me!? What about you?!" Ivan said nervously. He then cast his eyes to the ground. "Sorry…"

"Look people in the eye when you're talking to them." Kotetsu said while reaching out and lifting Ivan's chin so he'd make eye contact. "And yeah, well, I can't do anything for them if they don't want to learn. They don't pay me enough to just waste my time."

"You could get fired though and then you'd regret saying that." Pao-Lin pointed out.

Kotetsu flinched slightly; the girl's words caught him a little off guard. "That's actually a good point…"

"Why does it bother you if they don't want to learn anyway?" Ivan asked. "It's just part of your job, isn't it?"

"Well, when I was their age you had to be dedicated to get into show business." Kotetsu said with a small sigh. He thought back at the students he had to deal with as a teacher. A good portion of them not having a passionate bone in their body. People that were wasting time and their parents' money on a useless endeavor. "When I started out I couldn't go to a school like this, I had to pick up things from other performers in vaudeville and teach myself to get the basics."

"What's "vaudeville"?" Pao-Lin and Ivan asked in unison.

Kotetsu clapped the palm of his hand to his face. "Are you serious?"

"Well, neither of us is from this country, how should we know?" Ivan explained.

"Okay, what's vaudeville…?" Kotetsu then took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. "I guess the best way to describe it is a "variety show", performers with various talents perform one after the other. Some sing, some dance, and others can act. Sometimes there were magicians and even acts with dogs and other animals."

"Wow! That sounds pretty impressive!" Ivan said with a smile.

"It was, you got to see a lot of interesting talent." Kotetsu said happily as he reminisced. "A lot of famous stars actually got their start in things like vaudeville."

"Like who?" Pao-Lin asked.

"James Cagney for one, you know the guy that's famous for playing mobsters in the motion pictures?" Kotetsu then thought over a list of people in his head. "Actually, I met one of them myself when I was a kid. He went by the stage name of "Mr. Legend"."

"Huh?! Mr. Legend?!"

"The man that acted in all of those superhero movies?!"

"Kind of figured you two would at least know about him." Kotetsu said with a grin. "Yep, I met him when I was just a kid. I used to sneak back stage of one of the theaters in my hometown to hide from some older kids that would bully me. One time they found out where I was hiding and gave me a pretty good thrashing. I really thought they were going to kill me, until we somehow ended up falling onto the stage. Mr. Legend was on stage giving a performance at the time. Those punks all went as white as sheets when they saw the man in person, in full costume and everything. They ran out of there like bats out of hell."

"Wow, so he really saved you?" Ivan said with a smile. "But what was a famous actor doing on such a show?"

"Well, wasn't as uncommon as you'd think, especially back then. People that hit it big would still do a little vaudeville whether to pay homage to where they got their start or just to entertain people." Kotetsu explained. "If I remember right Mr. Legend was there to promote one of his latest motion pictures."

"What happened after the bullies ran off?" Lin asked.

"Mr. Legend and a couple of the performers helped me get bandaged up. I remember I was upset with myself because I thought I was a coward." Kotetsu gave a weary smile as he thought about that memory. "He said that the world could be a cruel place, that everyone has a hard time dealing with it now and then. But that was what was good about show business; we provide people a temporary escape, and sometimes a little hope that things can be beautiful and sometimes the good guy can win."

"That's kind of how I've felt about the ballet performances I've been in." Ivan began. "When I see the audience they always seem to be caught on every movement we make, some I've seen are even moved to tears."

"Exactly, that's why I tend to get a little pissed when I see brats that can't put their heart and soul into it in my classes." Kotetsu explained, he then scratched the back of his head and gave a small sigh. "I had a hard time getting started and I had to work my way up from the bottom. So kids that have a good opportunity, waste it, and just take up space in my classroom reminds me of people that would probably kill to be in their position."

"How did you get your start in show business anyway?" Pao-Lin asked suddenly. "You say it was hard, but it couldn't have been that bad, right?"

Kotetsu was quiet for a couple of moments; he was starting to look a little uneasy.

"What was it?" Ivan asked. "Now you're getting me curious…"

"We won't leave until you tell us!" Pao-Lin said with a smirk.

"…Promise me you won't laugh?" Kotetsu grumbled.

"We promise!"

Kotetsu gave a small sigh. "I joined a circus when I was thirteen; I started off as a chore boy and eventually became a clown. "

Both Ivan and Pao-Lin stared at Kotetsu in silence.

"…Pffft!" Pao-Lin tried with all her might to stifle her laughter as the thought of the usually well dressed Kotetsu in clown makeup, mismatched clothes, and over sized shoes popped up in her head.

Soon after that both Ivan and a giggling Pao-Lin found themselves being tossed out of Kotetsu's class room and the door slamming shut right behind them.

"Ow…" Ivan said as he sat up from where he landed on the floor. "Way to go Pao-Lin! Why'd you have to laugh?"

"I couldn't help it!" Pao-Lin said as she continued to giggle.

Right then they both heard a squeal coming from down the hallway. Both Pao-Lin and Ivan looked for the source, not too far away was a crowd of dance students and newspaper photographers flashing their cameras. The two dance students moved in to get a closer look and caught sight of a handsome young man. He was well built, lean and strong and wore a red and white leather jacket. His most noticeable features were sharp, green eyes, a pair of stylish glasses, and well cared for blonde hair that curled upward at its ends.

"Who's that guy?" Pao-Lin said with a confused blink. "He looks a little familiar."

"He should, that guy's face is plastered on billboards and advertisements all over the city." Ivan said with a small sigh. "That's Barnaby Brooks Jr., he's a song and dance man like Kotetsu."

"Wow, really?" Pao-Lin said as she canted her head to the side. "He's really that big of a deal, huh? Then what's a big shot like him doing here?"

"Well, this is a pretty well known dance school; I'd guess he's here to give tips to some of the more advanced classes." Ivan said thoughtfully. "It's good publicity if you think about it…"

Right then the door to Kotetsu's class room opened and out walked the teacher with dance bag in hand. He shot the two students a small glare before he headed for the elevator opposite the ruckus that was just down the hall. He pressed the button for the elevator and waited, he just wanted this day to be over already.

"Hey Kotetsu! Ivan said that there's a famous guy here, want to check it out?" Pao-Lin asked.

"No thanks, I'm heading to the bar." Kotetsu said without looking at her.

"Hmph, you're no fun." Pao-Lin said with a small huff. "You don't have to be such a grouch!"

"Well you did kind of laugh in his face right after he specifically asked you not to. So you kind of did that one on your own." Ivan pointed out.

Pao-Lin then gave the boy a good punch to the shoulder. "No one asked you!" she said stubbornly as she blushed from embarrassment.

The elevator arrived with a soft ding, the doors opened, and Kotetsu stepped inside. Just before the doors closed, he managed to catch sight of the commotion at the end of the hallway. "Huh, would you look at that mess?" For a brief moment he caught sight of Barnaby, he had to admit that he was a handsome kid, but Kotetsu came across plenty guys with a nice face in his line of work. "Back in my day a pretty face didn't get you much unless you had the talent to back it up." he caught himself saying aloud. Hearing himself talk like that had made him feel a little old, but also a little nostalgic, maybe he'd do a little dancing tonight.

-End of Chapter-


	4. Meeting the New Age

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 2  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 2063  
**Pairing:** Kotetsu x Tomoe  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a steampunk early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger & Bunny. Tiger & Bunny belongs to Sunrise and their respective owners.  
**VTM:** Making more updates.

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. Please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU, so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea then I'd advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that you enjoy the show!

-o-o-

It had been a rough night, Kotetsu was just returning home from a show. The audience wasn't very big and even less easy to entertain unless they managed to hit you with a vegetable or managed to heckle you to the point where you'd leave the stage. Things just weren't the same; show business in general seemed to be going into a slump. Motion pictures and the world of song and dance were at odds with each other, in some cases the two would go hand in hand, but that left things like vaudeville to slowly wither to death. Sure he had gotten offers for legitimate and well paying jobs, however they'd take him far from Sternbild and Kotetsu couldn't leave the city, not with things as they were. The offers were slowly drying up though; Kotetsu was running out of options since the name Kaburagi was slowly fading from the show business circles.

Kotetsu stopped at the doorstep of his home, taking a moment to brush off a piece of tomato that he had somehow missed that was stuck to the sleeve of his jacket. He, Tomoe, and their daughter Kaede had all lived together in a quaint two story house. They had bought the place before Kaede was born, figuring that they needed to give the baby and themselves a steady place to call home and return to when they weren't traveling. It beat having to live in hotel suites all the time and there was a certain feeling of security when you had a place to call your own. The Kaburagi's even turned the basement into a practice studio so they could stay sharp on their routines. They were even starting to show little Kaede some of the basics. It truly was perfect.

But that was all before Tomoe had slowly become ill.

Upon entering the house, Kotetsu could hear chopping in the kitchen and smell something good was cooking. He headed for the kitchen door and went inside half hoping to see Tomoe there, the other half know just who was probably there.

"Oh, so you're back already, Kotetsu?" It was his mother, Anju Kaburagi, a resilient and independent woman that was well known for her "no nonsense" outlook on life. She and Kotetsu's older brother, Muramasa, owned a liquor store in the city. Anju would come to Kotetsu and Tomoe's house to help care for Tomoe and look after Kaede while Kotetsu did touring or performed locally. "I've put Kaede to bed already, and also Tomoe had another check up today."

Kotetsu looked uneasy. "How did it go?"

"So far there's not too much change in her condition, but they said that it seems like it is starting to get worse and more than likely won't be improving." Anju said solemnly. "I don't think I have to tell you what that probably means."

Kotetsu was quiet for a while. He'd be lying if he said that that thought wasn't in the back of his mind. It was a little fear that would slowly gnaw at him when he thought about his wife's condition. The longer she went without showing signs of getting better, the more that fear grew, Kotetsu would try to stamp it out with reassurances that Tomoe was a tenacious woman and with a drink or three at one of the local bars with their old friend, Antonio. But that thought would still come back and fester like an infection.

"Ignoring it won't make it better, Kotetsu." Anju suddenly said, snapping her son from his thoughts. "I think it's time that you start preparing for the worst and start to get your affairs in order."

"Like what, mom? Funeral arrangements?" It's possibly still a little too early to tell if she's really going to die and your acting like it's time to bury her!" Kotetsu snapped. He was suddenly met with a stinging slap to the face. On reflex Kotetsu held a hand to his reddened cheek. He was met with a stern glare from his mother.

"Don't you ever raise your voice like that to your own mother, I taught you to be better than that!" Anju said in a strict tone. "I don't care how old or strong you think you are, I will knock you into next week if you are that disrespectful to me again."

Kotetsu remained silent; he averted his eyes to avoid the woman's harsh eyes. He would half admit that he probably had it coming; he didn't mean to snap at her like that. Kotetsu was just on edge, the worse Tomoe's condition became, the more opportunities Kotetsu would turn down to stay closer to or in the city and now he was stuck taking up small gigs in the vaudeville circuit.

"And I wasn't exactly talking about funeral arrangements, though you may want to keep those in mind. I was talking about you finding a new line of work. You've stopped taking contracts and shows that would take you out of state because of Tomoe's health, and these shows at the smaller theaters have you making a fool of yourself more than anything. You should consider looking for something more stable, Kotetsu." Anju said keeping a firm tone present in her voice. "Something less sporadic and fickle as theater. You could work for your brother or maybe get a factory job."

"Let's not talk about this right now, mom." Kotetsu said suddenly. He was mindful of his own tone, not wanting to earn anymore of his mother's wrath. "I'll look into my options, but right now I need some time to think about things."

"You have a daughter to think about Kotetsu, I'd think that should be enough on its own to bring you to your senses." Anju said with a sigh. "You're such a troublesome son sometimes."

"I'm going to go talk to Tomoe now." And with that Kotetsu left his mother and the kitchen and headed for the stairs to the second floor of the house. Tomoe was to be kept in a separate room from Kotetsu's by orders of the doctor. Both for her health and for what Kotetsu suspected, to help prepare him for the worst.

"Hello darling..." Kotetsu said as he walked into Tomoe's room. He was greeted by a warm smile from his wife. He walked over to her bed, leaned in, and gave her a loving kiss on the cheek. "How is the world's loveliest woman today?"

Tomoe shook her head at the silly man and laughed a little. "You're so corny."

"Corny? Or dashingly charming?" Kotetsu said with a grin and a wink.

"Nope, you're just corny." Tomoe said with the sassiest smile she could muster.

"Ouch, as usual, you get me right where it hurts!" Kotetsu said dramatically as he held a hand over his heart in mock pain.

Tomoe couldn't help but laugh at the show her husband had put on for her.

Kotetsu smiled; glad to see his wife in good spirits. But that smile faded when he noticed Tomoe started to have a coughing fit. "Tomoe?!" He reached out and rubbed her back; like he was told to if she had fits like these and soon the coughing had subsided. "I-I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay, I've been doing pretty well today, Kotetsu, there's no need for you to be all worried." Tomoe said reassuringly. "I'm not made of glass; I'm not going to break so easily."

"Of course I know that, show business has made you tough as nails." Kotetsu said, trying to sound confident, the act could've fooled anyone with an untrained eye for such things.

"Kotetsu, we've been married for over five years now, I know you very well by now." Tomoe said with a weary smile. "I know you're mother probably told you about the doctor's visit today. I could tell the moment you came into my room."

"It was that obvious, huh?" Kotetsu said with a small, forced laugh.

Tomoe gave a weary smile. "The red cheek on your face did kind of give it away."

"Yeah, our talk didn't exactly go over too well." Kotetsu said, he had become a little more sullen at this point. There was no point in hiding how he really felt around Tomoe, it was something he'd do on instinct and it'd fool almost everyone else except her. She'd often joke with him, telling him he could be an actor with the masks he could put up for people.

"Come over here Kotetsu..." Tomoe said as she patted a spot next to her on her bed.

The bed was a little too small to seat the both of them comfortably, so Kotetsu opted for pulling up a chair next to her bed and laying his head on his folded arms that he rested on the bedside. Tomoe then started to run her fingers through Kotetsu's hair, scratching his scalp gently. Kotetsu loved it when Tomoe would scratch his head like this; his body gave a slight shiver and soon a sense of ease went through him, as if she were sending all the dark thoughts that had been in his mind away.

"How was the show, dear?" Tomoe asked. "I want to hear all about it."

"I did pretty well I think. But, I don't attract as many crowds as the younger talent do." Kotetsu said as he gave a weary smile. "You know how it is these days; vaudeville and theater aren't exactly the same as they used to be. Either that or I'm getting a little too old for the game."

"Oh hush, you!" Tomoe said with a stubborn look on her face. "There are performers that are twice your age out there, and they can still dance circles around some of these rookies."

Kotetsu laughed, it was the first time he genuinely laughed that day. "Maybe, but it's just that it's not really the same without you there dancing with me." He smiled as he thought about the good old days, when he and Tomoe would travel across the country together, performing for some of the biggest theaters. "We'd really pack them in the seats then."

Tomoe smiled as she thought back on those times. "I know, I remember. We were nicknamed the "Dancing Lovers", you were "the man with the agility and strength of a tiger" and I was "the woman with the grace and beauty of a swan"." She then gave a small laugh. "Leave it to Ben to come up with such things."

"I thought you came up with the "tiger" thing?" Kotetsu said with a smirk. "You said I was a lot stronger than I looked."

"Oh, that's right! I did! Ben just came up with the "Dancing Lovers" name. Which means...You came up with the hackneyed "swan" nonsense!" Tomoe smiled as she ruffled Kotetsu's hair. "Honestly, you are so silly sometimes!"

Kotetsu could only smile, still enjoying the feel of Tomoe scratching his head and playing with his hair.

"But, I still love that about you. You're a silly, but charming man." Tomoe said with a little somberness in her voice. "I've never regretted having you as my husband."

Kotetsu stayed quiet, he was very thankful to hear her say that, but it also left him sad as well. Tomoe must have accepted her fate and now he had to as well. Kotetsu hated feeling so powerless, especially when it involved someone that he had grown to love so dearly. He wouldn't dare show any emotion right now, he didn't want Tomoe to know how her words had left him so torn.

"Your mother was telling me that I should try to convince you to leave show business, especially with the way things are going." Tomoe said with a weary smile. "But, I'd like it if you somehow kept dancing, even if it's not on stage in front of a cheering audience, even if it's just for those times when you feel nostalgic. And whenever you do, try to think of me and you, and all the good times we had together."

Without a word Kotetsu sat himself up in his chair, took Tomoe's hand, pressed it to his lips, and gave it a small kiss. It was a silent agreement, because words were both too hard to form and yet were unneeded by that point.

-End of Chapter-


	5. Of Deals and Devils

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 5  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 3853  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** Big update is big, I hope that you don't mind!

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. Please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU; so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea then I'd advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that you enjoy the show!

-o-o-

"Dad's late again..." said a girl with chocolate brown hair. She sat at the dinner table with her grandmother, Anju; across from them was an empty place at the table for the girl's father. She was nine years old; she was the type that thought that she knew more of the world than she really did. She was dressed in a blue and black dress and stripped pink and white stockings. Her hair was done up in a way that her father had always found cute since she was younger, tied into a ponytail on the side of her head, while her bangs were braided and clipped out of the way of her face. It was a cute, but the girl often envied the pretty fashions that older women would wear. She couldn't wait to grow up, so that often led to her trying to act as she thought adults would act.

Anju looked up at the clock that was in the kitchen, but her attention was taken elsewhere when she heard the front door open and close. "And there he is..."

Kotetsu hurried into the kitchen only to be met by the glares of his mother and daughter. "Ah, I know what you're both thinking, but let me explain! You see-"

"Take your hat off and clean up for supper, or you can make your own dinner tonight." Anju said, cutting off Kotetsu before he could continue.

"Yes ma'am." Kotetsu said as he left to go hang up his hat.

"Why are you late this time?" Kaede said with a slight pout.

Kotetsu was now at the sink washing his hands. "Because papa ran into your Uncle Antonio today." He said with a smile.

"Uncle Antonio?" Kaede said with a smile. "Is he going to be coming over?"

"Yep, I'm sorry for being late; your papa was just catching up with him and lost track of time." Kotetsu explained.

"I see, well, I guess that's sort of okay then..." Kaede said with a hint of stubbornness. She didn't want to show her dad that her mood had brightened.

Kotetsu dried off his hands and joined his mother and daughter at the table for dinner. "Why are you so hard on your papa, Kaede?"

"Hmph!" Kaede turned her head away from him.

"Because her father is a foolish man." Anju said bluntly.

"...Ouch, you are so ruthless, Mom." Kotetsu said as he dished out some food for himself and started to eat. "I hope you're not giving my daughter such bad opinions of me."

"I tell her that she should respect her father, you're all she has left." Anju explained, hinting at something that she would want to talk to him about at a later time. She could see Kotetsu caught on from a brief look he gave her. "But you still have a tendency to do foolish things."

Kotetsu was quiet for a little, his mind brought back to his dance with the young man from before at the bar. He was still embarrassed for losing and probably wouldn't be dancing on the stage of that bar for a good while. It really wasn't so much the fact that he lost to the man, honestly he had to give the guy some respect for his skill. But it was the first time Kotetsu realized just how rusty he must have been. Sure, while on stage he was able to put on a mask of confidence, but in his head he was trying to keep himself calm and trying to remember the steps.

"What's with that face, Kotetsu?" Anju said suddenly, startling the man from his thoughts. "You look rather troubled."

"Ah, it's nothing to worry about, I'm just thinking too much on something that doesn't matter." Kotetsu lied easily. He then continued to eat and acted as if everything was fine for through the rest of dinner.

After dinner Kaede went upstairs to get ready for bed while Anju was by the door getting her coat and bag and preparing to leave for home. Kotetsu stood nearby to see her off.

"Thank you again for watching Kaede for me, Mom." Kotetsu said in a sincere tone.

Anju gave a small sigh. "I'm more than happy to spend time with my granddaughter, but she could use a mother Kotetsu, and you could use a wife."

"Mom, please don't bring this up again..." Kotetsu said with a frown. He averted his honey eyes from his mother. "Kaede and I are doing just fine by ourselves."

"Kotetsu..." Anju said with a warning tone. "Look a person in the eye when you're talking to them."

Kotetsu bit his bottom lip, remembering that was the same lecture he gave Ivan earlier that day, it was a little ironic. He met his mother's stern gaze. "I'm not interested in getting remarried; we've talked about this enough times already."

"The girl needs a mother Kotetsu, and it doesn't matter how much you try to hide it, you are a lonely man." Anju's tone was less harsh than it normally was; much of the usual "no nonsense" harshness was replaced with concern. Despite her blunt nature, she still loved her fool of a son. "You work hard and when you come home you have a look about you like you're hoping someone else will be here. This house, it may be a home, it may be warm and harbor fond memories, but at heart it's still a lonely place. It's much like you in that regard."

"Mom..." Kotetsu said while nervously rubbing the back of his neck. Sometimes it was a little unnerving how that woman just knew things. The way that she was looking at him didn't help things either. "You should be heading home; Muramasa's going to get worried about you."

"Hmph..." Anju shook her head at the man. "Good night, Kotetsu." And with that she exited through the door and left the house.

Kotetsu gave a tired sigh; leave it to his mother to bring up such things. He tried to push the thoughts of having to get remarried to the back of his mind. When he turned to go upstairs, he caught Kaede sitting on the top steps in her night gown; she must have been spying them. Kotetsu hoped that she hadn't heard their conversation, but one look in that girl's eyes was all the confirmation that he needed. "Hey sweetheart, want me to brush your hair before you head to bed?"

It wasn't long before they were both in Kaede's room; Kotetsu was seated on her bed, gently brushing the girl's hair. It was something Tomoe would do when Kaede was little, after she passed away Kotetsu started to do it in her place.

"You okay? You're really quiet." Kotetsu said as he set the brush down and started to braid his daughter's hair, something that he had gotten quite good at over the years.

It took a little time for Kaede to speak, remembering what she heard. "Dad, are you lonely?"

"Hmm? Of course not, I have you." Kotetsu said with a smile.

Kaede didn't feel all that reassured. "But what grandma was saying..."

"Kaede, you're grandmother worries a little too much, I'm fine, really." After Kotetsu finished braiding his daughter's hair she looked back at him. He reached out and patted her on the head. "You don't have to worry about me, just do your best to be a good girl, okay?"

"Dad, I'm not a child." Kaede said stubbornly.

"Does that mean you're too old for a good night kiss?" Kotetsu asked slyly.

"Yes!" Kaede said with a pout.

"Too bad, you get one anyway." Kotetsu then leaned in and planted a small kiss on Kaede's forehead. "Good night, sweetheart." He then got up from his seat on the bedside and headed for the door.

Kaede crawled under the covers and snuggled into them. She then watched her father's retreating form, he stepped out of her room and was about to shut the door. "...Papa?"

Kotetsu's attention was caught in that instant, Kaede rarely called him "Papa" these days; usually when she did now it was because something was bothering her. "What is it?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Kaede looked as though she wanted to tell him something, but was having a hard time finding the right words to say. "...It's nothing, forget it. Good night." She then rolled over and had her back facing the man.

Kotetsu then closed the door and started to head to his own bedroom. He sighed as he entered his room and started getting ready for bed. As he did, he glanced over to the nightstand next to his bed, where a picture of his wife sat. "...Hello darling how's the most beautiful woman in the world today?" he said with a weary smile.

He finished getting dressed for sleep and then went over and climbed into bed. He sat up for a bit, it was a practice he'd do if he felt a troubled at the end of the day, he would go over some of the concerning parts of the day and would meditate on his day by talking about what happened out loud. He wasn't sure of ideas like an afterlife or of places such as Heaven and Hell, even if his mother would force him and Muramasa to join her in church on Sundays as children. Tomoe's illness and death rocked any foundation of faith that he had, it left him with nothing but uncertainties. However, when it came to times like these he would like to believe that she could hear him; it was one of those things that helped put his mind at ease.

"I dropped half my class today, I'm sure Lloyds is going to give me an earful when he finds out. Parents are probably calling in with complaints as we speak. I just hope I don't end up getting axed, that's the last thing I need right now." Kotetsu said as he unconsciously played with his wedding ring. "Kid's today are pretty different than since we were that age, huh? Many of them don't know how lucky they are...Sometimes I doubt they would care even if they did know."

He looked over at the picture on the nightstand, seeing his wife's serene smile brought him a little ease. Kotetsu tried to think of some of the better times from the good old days. But soon enough, this reminded him of the incident at Ben's bar. Kotetsu couldn't help but scowl at the thought. "I met some punk that thought he was a real big shot today at Ben's place." he scoffed. "Antonio's in town and he's been a little down, so I decided to try to cheer him up a little. Then comes in this brat that goes and calls me an amateur and tells me to get off the stage! Of course I told him to hit the road, but then he goes on about seeing who the better dancer is, so I couldn't just take that sitting down!" Kotetsu acted as though it wasn't a big deal, but was then quiet for a moment when he thought about what happened. "Heh. I guess I kind of made a fool out of myself, the kid was the real deal, a rookie, but a talented one. He had me beat pretty good." Kotetsu scooted under the covers, gave a tired sigh, and stared up at the ceiling of his room. "I'm really rusty Tomoe; you would have had a conniption fit if you saw me out there." It was the last thing he said before he drifted off to sleep.

Late the next morning Kotetsu was awoken by his daughter shaking him roughly. "H-huh...? What are you doing? Stop!" he half snored.

"Dad! You have to wake up!" Kaede was excited for some reason, she was smiling, and her eyes seemed to almost twinkle. "Come on! Get up and get dressed!"

Kotetsu then remembered that Antonio was supposed to come over today, tried to sit up, but Kaede took him by the hand and tugged him to try to get up faster. He then watched as the girl ran to his closet and grabbed one of his white shirts, his green vest, and a beige pair of pants.

"Here! Wear this dad!" Kaede said with a smile.

"Kaede, I wear that for more special occasions." Kotetsu said with a yawn.

"Well this is a special occasion!" Kaede said as she pointed at her half sleeping father in a way that was uncannily like her mother. "Come on! Hurry up and come down stairs he's waiting in the parlor!" She then hurried out of Kotetsu's room and went down stairs.

Kotetsu couldn't help but laugh a little at his daughter's excitement, he then took a moment to stretch, yawn, and let himself wake up a little more. Kotetsu then grabbed the outfit Kaede picked out, he debated putting it back and picking out something else, but maybe dressing up a little wouldn't be a bad idea. After all, they'd probably go out together for lunch or dinner anyway, so he might as well.

After getting dressed Kotetsu left his room and headed down the stairs. He could hear his daughter talking and laughing; he couldn't help but smile a little. Kotetsu reached the bottom of the stairs, crossed the hall, and stepped into the parlor. "Hey there Antoni..." he stopped in mid sentence.

Sitting right there, on his couch, in his parlor, in his house, was the stuck up brat and his stuck up uncle from the night before. Kaede was sitting with them giving them cookies and milk, apparently she had been chatting with them for a while now.

"Dad's here!" Kaede said with a smile. "Dad, this is Barnaby Brooks Jr.! He's a celebrity! See? I've seen him in the magazines and in some of the motion pictures grandma took me too! He and his grandpa are here to talk to you!"

One of Kotetsu's amber eyes visibly twitched as he stood there trying to piece together just what he was seeing and why.

"Ahem! I'm his uncle, my dear..." Maverick corrected Kaede. "Anyway, I do apologize for the sudd-"

"Cut the talk, get out of my house." Kotetsu said in a sharp tone.

"Dad! Don't be so rude!" Kaede yelled at him, she couldn't understand why he was suddenly so upset.

"You're grounded." Kotetsu added.

"What!? Why!?" Kaede said in shock.

"You let a pair of strangers in our house, Kaede!" Kotetsu said as he put his hands on his hips. "I don't care if he's in a magazine or whatever, that was foolish! Papa is very disappointed with you!"

Maverick and Barnaby sat on the couch in silence as the two started to bicker, both still eating their milk and cookies. Finally after a while Barnaby cleared his throat loud enough to catch their attention.

"I am sorry about the inconvenience, but we were hoping that you'd hear us out better when you were in a better and hopefully more sober state of mind." Barnaby explained.

Kaede then dropped the argument in favor of the new subject. "They told me that you were dancing with him Dad! Why didn't you tell me? I'm a big fan of Barnaby's! They said that they were trying to offer you a job but you told them "no"! Why would you be that mean? Grandma wants you to get a new job anyway!"

Kotetsu sighed and rubbed one of his temples, he could feel a headache coming on. "Because I'm not interested, I'm retired, I teach now."

"Oh? Are you sure?" Maverick said with a slight smirk. "My associate, Mr. Lloyds says that you could be looking for a new job pretty soon."

"A-associate...?" Kotetsu said as he gave a confused blink.

"That's right, you see, I'm a partial owner of Apollon School of Dance." Maverick explained.

"That's a load of horse feathers!" Kotetsu said with a frown, trying to call the man's bluff.

"Oh? You think so?" Maverick smiled in almost an eerie way that left Kotetsu feeling uneasy. "I did some looking into you're background, Mr. Kaburagi. After retiring you became a teacher at the school, but you have a nasty habit of being picky with your students. I even heard that just yesterday you threw out half of the students of one of your classes. According to Lloyds, you've been doing this a little too often and it's ended up with having you on the chopping block."

Kotetsu bit his bottom lip, that answered two questions, one, Maverick was telling the truth, and two, he was about to lose his job. "I...I see..." his tone became tamer.

"So, as you can see, it's not beneficial for you to be so hostel towards us." Maverick added. "So how about we all sit down, try this again, and start things off on a better foot."

Kaede was a little surprised at how the old man was able to make her father's temper suddenly vanish. She wasn't completely sure about what the two had been talking about, but either way, it worked. While she was glad at the prospect of them all getting to talk together, she could see her father seemed upset but was trying to hide it. "Come on Dad, it'll be nice to have a talk together."

Kotetsu sighed and walked over to a chair that was beside the couch and the coffee table. "Okay, let's talk then; want do you want, Mr. Maverick?"

Maverick gave a satisfied smile. "See? Things work much better when we are more cooperative. Now, this is concerning my offer to you last night."

"And I told you that I am retired." Kotetsu reminded him while trying to watch his tone.

"Yes, but please listen to the offer properly, and then think it over." Maverick began. "My nephew is becoming rather well known in the entertainment industry, as I'm sure your daughter can tell you."

"Yep!" Kaede gave a proud nod.

Maverick smiled at the girl and then continued. "However, I'm sure a seasoned showman like yourself was able to tell he's still new to the business."

"Yes, I did notice that." Kotetsu said as he made eye contact with Barnaby. "He's got talent and he was taught well, but in terms of skill and presence on stage he's still pretty raw." He noticed that this earned a surprised look from Barnaby.

"Yes, well, I think I did pretty well when we were dancing, Mr. Kaburagi." Barnaby said with slightly wounded pride. He didn't understand what made Uncle Maverick think that this was a good idea. The bumbling drunk had nothing on his skills, so why was he so intent on making a deal with this man?

"You're kidding, right?" Kotetsu said with a frown. He pointed right at Barnaby as he continued on. "Kid, I haven't had to dance seriously for five years. If I was in top form I'd have wiped that smug look of yours right off your face."

Barnaby glared at the man, Mr. Kaburagi was even more annoying when he was sober. How could he talk so big when their difference in skill was so obvious? The man was nothing more than a washed up blowhard.

"Yeah right, Dad..." Kaede chimed in, catching Kotetsu off guard. "Barnaby's been taught dance at the top schools and has been to different places in America and Europe and..." She went on stating all sorts of facts that she knew about Barnaby and comparing them to her "lame father". All the while not noticing how her favoring of the handsome blonde seemed to be eating at her father.

Barnaby then leaned over to Maverick and spoke in a low whisper. "Is this really necessary Uncle Maverick?"

"Unfortunately, what he said is very true, Barnaby. You're skilled, yes, but that alone won't get you anywhere in this business, it can eat you alive if you're not careful." Maverick explained, earning a concerned look from the younger man. "But that's why this man would be a perfect partner. He's much more experienced but he can't outshine you. You'd learn from him and still be able to stand on your own two feet."

Barnaby sighed and crossed his arms over his chest; he didn't like this idea one bit. He wanted to prove to prove to his Uncle that he was more than capable of handling things on his own. But Uncle Maverick was stuck on the idea. Barnaby would entertain it a little while, if the man accepted it, but as soon as he had the chance, he'd leave Mr. Kaburagi behind; Barnaby didn't need dead weight holding him down.

Maverick then cleared his throat. "Well then, as I was saying..."

Kotetsu, by this point, was looking much more depressed than before. "Yeah...?"

"I was hoping that you could be a partner for my nephew, show him the ropes of show business and help him provide more aspects for his act." Maverick explained. "Of course, you'd be paid well for something that you'd be good at. It might suit you more than teaching that is, that is of course if you're not fired..." There was a slight tone of a threat that was laced in the last part of that sentence.

Kotetsu caught the hint, so in a sense he was being blackmailed by this man. It was either join the act or lose the current job that he had, and any kind of work was hard enough to get these days. "...I guess you have yourself a deal then."

"Glad to hear it." Maverick said with a slight smirk. "I'll have a contract drawn up for you tomorrow then."

"You're going to be dancing with Barnaby, Dad?" Kaede said with a smile.

Kotetsu took a little comfort in seeing his daughter excited; maybe this meant she'd think more fondly of him as well.

"I'll get to see Barnaby in person more!" she added, effectively smashing her father's heart into itty bitty pieces.

"Now, how about you two shake on it?" Maverick suggested. "You both may have started off on the wrong foot, but let's put that behind us, shall we?"

Kotetsu then met Barnaby's gaze again, he frowned a little, he took back ever thinking that the kid was handsome, he wasn't cute at all. "Looks like we're stuck with each other then..."

"Hmph..." Barnaby averted his eyes from the older man, he obviously wasn't any happier about this "arrangement" either.

Both men reach out to each other, clasped the other's hand, and gave a reluctant handshake. Barnaby was surprised by the strength of Kotetsu's grip; the older man must have been stronger than he looked. He tried to return the favor in kind by tightening his own grip; it only made Kotetsu squeeze his hand even harder.

While Kaede cheered at the two "becoming friends", Maverick could easily see the two had a long way to go if they were going to make this partnership work.

-End of Chapter-


	6. Welcome to the Show

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 4  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 3949  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** Big update is big, I hope that you don't mind!

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. Please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU, so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea then I'd advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that you enjoy the show!

-o-o-

Topmag bar was a good place to get a drink and relax. The place had a nice charm, warm atmosphere, and catered to Kotetsu's tastes. The bar was nostalgic for him, the walls displayed quite a few pictures and posters of performers and shows that were big names back in the day. Some of the people in them didn't make it to the big time, while others made it to stardom. It didn't matter how far they got in the show business game, they were all from a golden era that brought back fond memories. The bar was the pride and joy of Ben Jackson, the bar's owner and ex-agent of Kotetsu and Tomoe's act. After Kotetsu retired he also left the show business world and opened up his own business. Ben was doing pretty well for himself, though sometimes he'd miss the days of scouting for talent, finding unpolished gems and getting them to shine on stage. But those days were behind him now.

Classic show tunes played from the self playing piano in the bar, the mood was easy going, almost lazy in a way. It definitely made it a little easier to forget about the troubles one had during their day, even if it was just for a little while. Patrons were few at this time of day, but sure enough there would be more coming soon as the day was getting closer to meeting the evening.

Kotetsu sat on a bar stool across from the bar tender and on his left side next to a large ox of a man, both of which were old friends of his. "I had no idea you'd be in town Tonio, you should have called or sent a post card!"

The large man gave a hearty laugh. He was a little taller than most men, with a healthy, strong build, and he had an intimidating looking face. The man had a western look to him, with his cowboy styled leather jacket and boots. "What would the point of surprising you two be then?"

"It's a still little funny though, that a street punk like the notorious "Antonio the Bison" became a celebrated opera singer. Time really does change all things, doesn't it?" Ben said with a smile.

"You're telling me..." Antonio said with a smile. "But, I have to ask if you guys could keep the dirtier parts of my past under wraps. You guys know how some reporters can get. They smell any blood in the water and they go after it like sharks."

"Hmph, as if you being a punk is really a bad thing. It's like a "rags to riches" story, isn't it?" Kotetsu said before he took a sip from his glass. "I remember how we used to crack some skulls together when we weren't butting heads ourselves. Ironically, that's also how we became friends, so I don't see how it's a bad thing at all! It builds character if you ask me."

"Yeah, well, not in the world of opera." Antonio said with a small sigh. Thinking back on some of the rumors and passing comments he'd hear at functions. He was good, no one doubted that about Antonio, but with that came jealousy, sneering, and people looking for what they could say bad about him. "I've already had papers saying I look like a lumbering brute, and that's not the half of it."

"Brute my ass, you're just a "man's man"." Kotetsu pointed out with a smile. He then reached over and gave Antonio's arm a squeeze, feeling the muscle, to help emphasize the point.

"Ugh...please don't say that." Antonio grumbled. He then finished his drink in one big gulp and sighed. "I'm already have troubles with a certain "admirer" of mine."

Kotetsu's smile then became more impish; sometimes he couldn't help but tease the man. He leaned in closer to his friend and gave him a light nudge. "Oh, so you're attracting the ladies, huh?"

"Ah, no, not exactly." Antonio said bluntly. He then leaned in and whispered into Kotetsu's ear. "Remember Nathan Seymour?"

Kotetsu's amber eyes widened in surprise, he didn't see that coming. "Woah, the owner of-"

Antonio flinched and quickly covered Kotetsu's mouth before any more words could be spilled. "Yeah, **that** Nathan." He said in a harsh whisper.

Ben watched the two as they bickered and whispered. "Glad to see some things never change, you two are still as tight knit as ever." he said with a smile. The two men weren't paying attention, but he didn't mind, Ben's own attention was suddenly drawn to a new pair of faces that had just walked into his establishment. His eyes squinted a little as he tried to take in the details of their faces. The younger of the two looked rather familiar.

"Well, you have to admit, you'd be set for life if you went and got cozy with him." Kotetsu pointed out. They were still whispering like a pair of kids trying to keep a secret.

"Hmph! I'm not interested!" Antonio said as he started at the empty glass in his hands.

"Well why not?" Kotetsu asked while he gave his friend another light nudge. "Do you have eyes on someone else?"

"Button your trap, you moron!" Antonio shot back. He then spoke in a low grumble. "He said he likes my ass, but not my face."

Kotetsu winced a little; he knew that as much of a tough guy that Antonio was, he was still a sensitive guy under that manly exterior. "What does he know? Stop your sulking, I think you have a great face." Kotetsu said with a smile, he then gave his friend a pat on the back.

Antonio said nothing, but he did smile a little after hearing that. He wasn't sure if his friend really meant it, he knew he probably shouldn't have really cared, but it was nice to hear it from him. Antonio tried to get his mind off of the subject of Nathan, his own face, and Kotetsu's comments by asking Ben for another drink.

Kotetsu then gulped down the rest of his drink and set the glass down on the counter. "Well, the evening's still young and I still got a bit of time before I need to head home. How about a little dance to cheer you up, eh Tonio?"

Antonio gave a laugh. "I'd like that, you sure you haven't lost your edge though?" he said with the hint of a challenge in his voice.

"Heh, I'll make you eat those words, you silly cow." Kotetsu playfully smirked when he saw his little verbal jab earned a snort from the ox of a man. He then walked over to the piano and started to talk with the piano player about what music to play.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room at a table by a window and the entrance to the bar sat the young man that visited Apollon School of Dance, Barnaby Brooks Jr. He stared out the window that he and the man he came to the bar with sat by with a bored look on his face. Sternbild had really changed since he had last been here, even if he was a child at the time, he could still tell. Many of the places that he had remembered going to as a child with his parents were either run down or had been renovated and changed completely. As if the city itself was wiping away any memory of the time he had with his parents. Barnaby couldn't help but frown slightly at that thought.

"Such a terrible face Barnaby..." his companion said suddenly."Mind yourself, or you might scare passersby." the man said with a laugh. He was an elderly man, his body somewhat worn with the test of time, with his hair silver and white, and tired pale blue eyes. He was a well dressed man; he wore a dark suit that was given the finishing touch of a gold colored silk tie with the emblem of a butterfly embroidered on it. The old man had an air about him that made it obvious that he was a man of business. Unfortunately, his most eye catching feature was not his well made suit or experienced presence, but a large mole that was right in the middle of his forehead. "But really now, Barnaby, what is with that face? I thought you would have liked coming back to Sternbild."

"It's nothing uncle Maverick..." Barnaby said with a small sigh.

"Oh come now my boy, something's troubling you, it's obvious." Maverick said with a look of concern. "Maybe you need something to get your mind off your troubles."

It was then that the piano music suddenly stopped, both Maverick and Barnaby took notice and looked towards the stage area. There they saw Kotetsu standing on the stage, giving a signal to the piano player, a more upbeat and cheerful tune was then played. Kotetsu tapped his foot to the beat to get a feel for the tempo of the song, when he felt that he had it he then started off with some simple steps, and as he got more of a feel for the song he started to do more advanced steps. A couple people in the audience could be heard cheering the showbiz veteran on. However, both Barnaby and Maverick did not seem all that impressed.

"Hmph, looks like these people could use a lesson on what real entertainment looks like." Maverick said with a small smile. "These people are easily impressed by amateurs; want to show them how professionals do it? It might get your mind off of things for a bit..."

Barnaby gave a sigh. "I suppose if you'd like me to." With that Barnaby stood up and then called out. "I'm afraid amateur hour is over, could you please leave the stage?"

Kotetsu suddenly stumbled in mid-step and almost toppled over, luckily he was able to catch himself and regain balance. Maybe drinking as much as he did before dancing wasn't the best idea he had. He was about to continue dancing but then noticed the piano music had stopped. "Hey, what gives?" Kotetsu then looked out to the crowd; he noticed that most of the people in the bar were looking at a young blond man. "Isn't that...?" Kotetsu then remember that he caught a glimpse of him as he left work.

"I thought he looked familiar." Ben said as he cleaned a glass. "That's Barnaby Brooks Jr.; he's been pretty big news in the entertainment industry lately."

Antonio looked at the blond man uneasily, he had heard the name before and had seen the advertisements, but something about the kid in person was a little intimidating in a way. What's worse was that he seemed to be picking a fight with Kotetsu; that man on a normal day was bad enough to get into a fight with, but a drunk Kotetsu was even worse, what logic that man had would be out the window with the beer. Antonio was about to call Kotetsu over, hoping that they could avoid a fight, but the larger man caught glimpse of a look that Kotetsu had in his eyes. The veteran dancer felt challenged; there was no way that he was going to be reasoned with now.

"Who are you calling an amateur, brat?" Kotetsu said as he placed his hands on his hips and glared defiantly at Barnaby.

"This isn't going to end well, is it?" Antonio said with a sigh.

Ben looked at Barnaby, then at Kotetsu, and then shook his head. "Nope, probably not. Chances are, either Kotetsu's just going to outright punch him or he's just going to make a fool of himself."

"I'm kind of hoping for the punching option." Antonio admitted.

"Huh?" Ben looked at bigger man a little surprised. "Why would you want that?"

"That kid's just got one of those faces that you just want to punch." Antonio said bluntly as he gave a shrug.

"I swear, sometimes you're no better than Kotetsu." Ben said with a sigh.

By now Barnaby was standing right in front of the stage; he seemed to study Kotetsu for a moment. He then pointed at the older man. "Shuffle off old man, I want to use the stage for a bit."

"Old man?" Kotetsu said as he blushed slightly. He took a moment to regain his composure. "Scram brat, I'm not going anywhere at your beck and call."

Barnaby raised an eye brow at Kotetsu's response. "Do you know who I am?"

Kotetsu cleaned out one of his ears with a pinky finger and flicked away any waxy residue. "No, why? Are you supposed to be someone important or something?"

The people in the bar watched to two, some of them whispering amongst themselves. Some were wondering if the two were going to have a fight, others were chatting or asking who Barnaby was. Maverick watched the people in the crowd and would look back to Barnaby and Kotetsu. They were definitely grabbing attention, it was interesting, perhaps it was something that could work in Barnaby's favor.

Barnaby frowned at the crude behavior the older man was showing. It was obvious that he was going out of his way just to be rude to him. Now this wasn't just about entertaining his uncle's whims anymore, Barnaby now wanted to personally squash that ego of Kotetsu's. "Then how about we make a compromise, old man? Say we have a little contest to see who the better dancer is?"

"Sounds fair enough to me, step on up here then, brat." Kotetsu said as he stepped off to the side to make room on the stage for Barnaby.

Barnaby climbed up the stairs of the stage and made his way to the center of it. "I'll go first then..." He then called out to the piano player the name of a song to play and soon it started. Unlike Kotetsu before, Barnaby didn't have to feel out the tempo, it was a song he knew by heart, so he started his dance routine more quickly than the veteran dancer did.

If there was any doubts in Kotetsu's mind that the kid could dance, they were surely gone the moment the kid started. The slight stupor that the alcohol had him in earlier disappeared by the point when he realized the kid was the real deal. Watching Barnaby's movements he could tell the kid had been taught well, much like Tomoe had been. Barnaby was able to move quick and precise, his moves seem to consist of things more along the lines of jigs, kicks, and quick foot work. He was good, really good in fact. Kotetsu bit his bottom lip as he realized that he pretty much just dug his own grave on this one.

Soon enough Barnaby's routine was over and the crowd cheered wildly for the younger man. Kotetsu could feel his heart pounding in his chest; that was not going to be an easy act to follow. The amber eyed man took a deep breath and called out to the piano player a song he knew he had done a routine for before.

Barnaby was off to the side on the stage watching, he could tell the older man was shaken by this point, this brought a bit of satisfaction. He hoped that knocking the older man off his high horse would teach him to think twice. However, Barnaby ended up being a little surprised, as soon as the music started Kotetsu's confidence seemed to come right back as he started to dance. Kotetsu's style was much different than Barnaby's that much was for certain. Kotetsu's style was made up of more classic tap dance moves and some that he seemed to have invented himself. Unlike Barnaby, Kotetsu also had to use his arms to help him keep balance as he was dancing, but he was able to do it and still make it look decent for the stage. The older man had an experienced stage presence that Barnaby was not expecting; it became clear that this man wasn't just some drunkard that climbed on the stage randomly. It was obvious that the older man must have been a professional performer at one time.

When Kotetsu finished his routine there was some applause, but not nearly as much as Barnaby had gotten. He could see both Antonio and Ben looking at him sympathetically, he knew then that there was no contest, he lost. Kotetsu would have been lying if he said the blow to his pride didn't hurt, but he already knew he was to blame for it.

"How about one more round?" Barnaby said suddenly.

"Hmph!" Kotetsu looked at Barnaby and frowned. "Haven't had enough yet?"

"One more round, but this time we'll play a little differently." Barnaby said as he adjusted his glasses. "I'll lead a routine and you follow. Think you can keep up with me old man?"

"Not like I have much else to lose." Kotetsu said with a sigh.

"Then let's do a soft shoe routine, I'm sure an old man like you is familiar with that, right?" Barnaby then called out to the piano player to play one more song.

"Quit calling me that, you jackass!"

The music started and Barnaby began to dance, Kotetsu followed by mimicking the younger man. Maverick watched the two men carefully from his seat at his and Barnaby's table. He was actually rather impressed to see the older man was able to keep up with Barnaby pretty well despite his more clumsy movements due to his longer legs. It had almost looked as though they had somewhat rehearsed the routine. But what impressed Maverick the most was that the older man was keeping Barnaby on his toes. Maverick could spot whenever Barnaby would try to trip up Kotetsu by suddenly performing a dance moves that the older man probably couldn't do without messing up. But instead Kotetsu would surprise Barnaby by not mimicking him and just improvise with a move of his own and would still make it fit in the routine.

Maverick was a little impressed by what he saw; the two were almost decent together. Of course the material was a little raw, but Barnaby did shine compared to Kotetsu. Maverick was brought away from his thoughts by the sound of wild applause. The Barnaby and Kotetsu had just finished their routine, both panting and looking a little tired by this point. They had really made an impact on the audience that not even Barnaby could when he danced solo. Maverick didn't want to admit it, but maybe Barnaby would benefit from a partner, someone experienced that knows the business and what to expect. After all, Barnaby was still a rookie in the show business world, a rising star that could fall and burn out at any time if he wasn't careful in this cut throat business.

Kotetsu walked past Barnaby the two of them throwing one last glare at each other before he left the stage and headed back to where Ben and Antonio were. "Ah, that was troublesome!" He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"That was your own fault." Antonio reminded his old friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Kotetsu said with a sigh. "Well, I'm officially done for the night; you're free to stay at my place if you haven't set up at a hotel yet. I'm sure Kaede would be happy to see her "Uncle Tonio"."

"I have a room at a hotel, but thanks for the offer. I'll take you up on that offer another time though." Antonio said with a smile. "But I'll be sure to stop by tomorrow, I'd love to see little Kaede again."

"She's not so little anymore, or so she says, you know how kids are." Kotetsu said as he smiled fondly. "I'll expect you over tomorrow then; don't be such a stranger, okay? You are her godfather after all."

"Take care of yourself, Kotetsu." Ben said with a smile. "Look, don't let this get you down, alright? You're not in the business anymore, so it's easy to get rusty."

Kotetsu knew Ben was just trying to be reassuring, but the words still stung a little. He gave a small wave goodbye to his friends and turned around to leave, only to almost bump right into Maverick. "Woah there!" he said as he stopped himself. "Sorry about that, I didn't see you."

"No harm done." Maverick said with a smile. "Ah, sir, before you leave mind if I have a word with you?"

"Sorry, I don't have a lot of time, I have to head on back home." Kotetsu explained, he then tipped his hat to the old man and was about to walk around him.

"Now, now, this will only take a few minutes." Maverick insisted. "I promise that it will be worth your while."

Kotetsu looked at the man unsurely, he then looked at his watch, he had a little bit of time, he could at least hear the guy out. "Fine, but it has to be quick, I'm kind of in a hurry here."

Antonio and Ben watched as Maverick lead Kotetsu back to his table. The two men both looked confused by the sudden turn of events.

"I hope Kotetsu didn't land himself in any trouble." Ben said while he cleaned a glass and put it away.

"Ha, when doesn't he?" Antonio said as he kept an eye on them.

"That's the guy that was with Barnaby Brooks Jr." Ben said suddenly. "What does he want with Kotetsu?"

The showbiz veteran was led to Barnaby and Maverick's table, when he saw the younger man he stopped dead in his tracks. "Okay, hold on a minute, what's this all about?"

Maverick took his seat and motioned a hand towards an empty chair. "Please have a seat, Mr...?"

"Kaburagi, and no thanks, I'm in a hurry so I don't have time to be sitting still for too long." Kotetsu explained. He noticed that Barnaby gave him a small glare, but he shrugged it off.

"Kaburagi you say?" Maverick said thoughtfully, the name sounded a little familiar. "Anyway, please forgive our rudeness, Mr. Kaburagi. My name is Albert Maverick, and this is my nephew and client, Barnaby Brooks Jr., who you had the honor dancing with just before."

Kotetsu looked unimpressed, he looked at Maverick and then at Barnaby. "And...?"

"And?" Maverick was a little surprised.

"Please don't treat my uncle so disrespectfully." Barnaby said with a warning tone.

"Sorry." Kotetsu said with a sigh. "I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but it just seems like you people are expecting me to know you, Barnaby."

"Then allow me to explain..." Maverick began. "Barnaby here is a rising star in the entertainment industry, he's a singer, dancer, and can act."

"Honestly, I've never heard of him." Kotetsu said in a blunt tone.

"Yes, well, that just goes to show you how up to date you are on current news." Maverick said with a slight hint of irritation in his voice. "But that is beside the point; you seem to be an experienced showman and Barnaby here could use someone to be his partner and to sho-"

"Hold it, I'm sorry, but I can't help you." Kotetsu said suddenly, cutting Maverick off in mid sentence. "I'm retired from show business, so that is the end of this conversation." Before Maverick or Barnaby could object, Kotetsu got up from his seat, left for the door, and exited the bar.

Ben watched as his former client left. "I wonder what that was about."

"It didn't go too well, that's for sure. I could ask him about it tomorrow." Antonio said thoughtfully, he then finished his drink. "Knowing him, he's not going to want to talk about it right now."

"Excuse me gentlemen!"

Both men looked for the source of the voice and saw Maverick approaching them.

"By any chance is there anything you can tell me about Mr. Kaburagi?" the old man asked. "It's rather important you see..."

Both Ben and Antonio looked a little hesitant to answer him.

Maverick's eyes then seemed to land on something on the wall behind Ben, he then smiled. "Ah, he wouldn't happen to be **that** Mr. Kaburagi would he?" he said as he pointed to what had caught his eye.

Framed and placed in a little place all on its own was an old, small poster of Kotetsu and Tomoe from their show business days.

"What can you tell me about that man?"

-End of Chapter-


	7. Omens

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 7  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 4163  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** Long chapter is long when it was just supposed to be a short update. This is what happens when I take a break from my finals.

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. So expect some things like slang from that kind of era and other such things. Also, please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU; so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea, then I'd honestly advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that on with the show!

-o-o-

Kotetsu gave a long, tired sigh. He was at a reception desk of a hotel, using the phone to call home and check up on things with his mother and daughter. Kotetsu and Barnaby had just spent a month touring with their act. Kotetsu had forgotten just how much travel could take out of a person, especially if one had to travel in the cheap cars of the trains and would be stuck in the cheap rooms of hotels (that were usually reserved for live in staff) because "he wasn't the main attraction" and "it's more cost efficient", according to Albert Maverick. So there were times where Kotetsu had to pay for his own train tickets or ended up stuck in small rooms or cramped train cars (or one time the luggage car) throughout the entire month. Needless to say, travel was a bit rough on him.

However Kotetsu still tried to make the most of it; he would try his best to call his daughter once a day. Hearing her voice and hearing about the goings on of home served as a good morale boost. Even if much of the calls would be her asking him about how Barnaby was doing and if he would say hello. She must have been expecting them to have become friends by now, he didn't want to disappoint her, and so he would try to tell her little fibs. "Barnaby's busy with practice darling; we have a pretty big show coming up later this week." Kotetsu said as he looked back over his shoulder.

Barnaby was giving another interview with a reporter out by the hotel's pool; he was dressed in a bathrobe and a rather scandalous bathing suit, if you could even call it that. It looked more like some kind of striped underwear in Kotetsu's opinion; he wouldn't let himself be caught dead in such a ridiculous thing.

"You always say that dad." Kaede said with a pout, pulling bearded man away from his thoughts.

"Ah, I have some good news!" Kotetsu said, trying to change the subject. "We're heading back to Sternbild this weekend for our last show, so your Papa will be back home for a while before he has to go on tour again."

"Hmph..." Kaede was still pouting. "I don't think you're trying to be friends with Barnaby at all!"

"Huh? What makes you say that, sweetheart?" Kotetsu asked.

It wasn't that Kotetsu wasn't trying, it was just he and Barnaby usually ended up clashing when he tried to invite Barnaby out with him. He couldn't say it was fully Barnaby's fault either; the two of them had different interests. Barnaby seemed fond of the more refined things in life, like opera and classic novels. Kotetsu had more fun playing guitar and singing with people like the hotel staff when they were on break, or going out to watch the motion pictures, or going out for a drink at the local bars.

"You changed what we were talking about right away." Kaede pointed out. "You always do that when you don't want to talk about something."

"Listen to me Kaede, your papa is trying the best he can to get along with him." Kotetsu tried to explain. "It's not as easy as you'd thi-" he was then cut off by his daughter.

"Then you're not doing it right! Barnaby is a nice man! You're probably just being a stick in the mud." Kaede said stubbornly.

Kotetsu gave a tired sigh. It wasn't easy to try to explain such things to her. While Kaede was a very clever girl, a fact that made Kotetsu very proud, she was still at that age where the matters of the world were all in black and white. She was still a little too young and naive to understand the dishonesty of people and the reasons why. Regardless, he tried the honest route this time. She really wanted the truth? Then he'd give it to her. "We don't exactly see eye to eye on things right now, he doesn't like me much and I personally don't like him either. We're just trying to get along because we have to work together. We're not here to be friends, Kaede."

"You're so mean dad!" Kaede scolded father. "How could you say something like that?"

"Because that's just how it is Kaede, I'm sorry." Kotetsu was starting to regret telling her that, but what else could he do? She was getting wise to when he'd tell a fib. It was all a reminder that she was getting older, it was a bittersweet thought. His little girl was becoming a fine young lady, but that also meant that he had to be more honest with her and that was starting to slowly drive a wedge between them.

"You're just horrible dad!" And with that Kaede angrily hug up the phone.

Kotetsu stood there for a moment, phone still in hand and pressed to his ear, looking pretty damned miserable. He then hung up the phone, thanked the receptionist for letting him use it, and walked towards the lobby of the hotel to take a seat on one of the plush chairs there. While with most other people he couldn't care less of what they thought of him. But Kaede's words tended to cut deep; it was a whole new game when Kotetsu was dealing with someone that he cared about.

Back at the Kaburagi house, Kaede returned to the parlor and rejoined her grandmother on the couch. Anju was working on some needle point, as was Antonio who was her student in the ways of sewing and knitting since he was a teen; he was seated next to her on the couch. Antonio had just finished a tour of his own; he had agreed to help keep an eye on Kaede and the house for Kotetsu while he was out on tour with Barnaby.

"That didn't sound like it ended well." Antonio said without looking up from his work.

"Hmm, Kaede can be such a willful child sometimes." Anju pointed out.

"Dad's not getting along with Barnaby." Kaede said as she picked up her magazine. "Look right here!" she said as she pointed to a picture of Barnaby and Tiger. "See, their getting along right there!"

Anju looked at the picture for a moment; she had a thoughtful look on her face. "Your father is faking it."

"What do you mean?" Kaede asked; she then looked back at the picture. Her father was smiling and dancing in some of the pictures.

"It's just a part of the business, Kaede." Antonio explained. "Your dad knows how to put on an act for the audience. Sometimes that audience can even just be the people around him."

"Think about when your father smiles and acts as if everything is fine, but you know that there is something bothering him." Anju said as she continued her needle point. "It's a skill he's honed since he was a child; he's never been the type to let people in when it comes to his personal business."

"Even though he has a bad habit of getting himself involved in other people's business." Antonio added as he reminisced a little. "People who don't know your dad that well usually can't tell when he's putting on an act. And you have to keep in mind that pictures in magazines won't always tell you the full truth either."

Kaede couldn't help but think back on that night when she spied on her grandma and her dad. Even though when she asked him if he was lonely and he said that he was fine, she could tell that there was something off in his smile. She looked back at the pictures in the magazines; she looked at the pictures more closely. It was then that she could see it; it was the same kind of smile he had that night; the kind that was missing something that kept it from being genuine.

Kaede was now a little worried that maybe she was a little hard on her father. But she would not be admit that out loud anytime soon, she was much too stubborn for that. Kaede frowned and excused herself from the parlor; she then left while trying to think of some way to make both her dad and Barnaby a little happier.

The next day at the hotel, Kotetsu had just finished talking to Maverick about their act. The old man had just left the lobby, leaving Kotetsu to think over some of the new "ideas" for their act that were being discussed. The debut of "Barnaby Brooks Jr. and Tiger" had been quite a hit; their act managed to charm the high society audience and gave the duo chances for more work and more exposure. Their first couple of shows since their debut was mostly the same, but Kotetsu then tried to talk to Barnaby about changing up their routine a little. Mentioning that if they didn't, the act would get stale and they'd lose their appeal, that and his ribcage could really use a break from being elbowed.

Barnaby of course, wouldn't listen to a damn thing that he'd suggest, so instead, Kotetsu had to go through Maverick to discuss such things. This actually proved to be a little more irritating because Maverick would take many of Kotetsu's suggestions and twist them around a bit. All for "the good of the act" as he would say. Things would have been much easier if Kotetsu could just discuss things face to face with Barnaby and they could both go over and decide what to do with the act.

"Hey old man..." said a voice nearby.

Kotetsu looked up and spotted Barnaby, still in that silly bathrobe and poor excuse of a bathing suit. "Don't call me..." he stopped himself and shook his head, wasn't worth the headache. "What is it?"

This earned a slightly surprised look from the younger man, but it was only for a brief moment, he then returned to that familiar, cold look. "We're going to be leaving today so be sure to have your things packed and ready, we'll be catching the train at eight tonight."

Something in Barnaby's tone really pressed on Kotetsu's patience. He bit back the smart remarks that he wanted to make and gave a nod and a forced smile. "Right, I got it, I'll be ready."

"Is something wrong with you, old man?" Barnaby asked suddenly. "You're acting a little stranger than usual."

"Who are you calling strange, brat?" Kotetsu said with an annoyed frown.

"That's more like it." Barnaby said as he adjusted his glasses. He then headed off to the main hall of the hotel so he could return to his suite.

"Hmph, that smartass." Kotetsu said under his breath.

Kotetsu then looked at his watch; he still had some time to relax a little before he'd have to go and make sure all his belongings were packed. So he reached over to a nearby coffee table and grabbed a newspaper. While he was just going to look for the funny papers, the front page caught his attention right away. "Masked assassin strikes again, takes down well loved business owner..." he read aloud.

On the front of the newspaper was a picture of a shadowy figure standing on the top of a building holding what looked like a crossbow, the moon was right behind him giving an eerie glow, giving the figure a very ominous look. Kotetsu started to read the article, he had heard bits and pieces about "the masked assassin" while on the streets of Sternbild, whether it was from the gossips of people nearby or the calls of paper boys trying to sell their papers and attracting customers by announcing the headlines. But this was the first time he ever took much time to read anything on the guy.

He first appeared a few months ago, his attacks seeming to happen only at night when the moon is full or close to being full. This earned him the nickname "Lunatic" by the people of Sternbild, due to the old wives tales about the association with the moon and sanity. He had been becoming something of a "boogieman" in Sternbild, some believing that he wasn't even of the human realm; many even believed that he may even be a demon that had escaped from hell. This came from how he was said to have attacked and killed his victims.

"..."He shot a bolt of blue hell fire" says witness..." Kotetsu read aloud, trying to imagine such a thing, it was no wonder people thought he was a demon. As Kotetsu read on, he found that the story moved on from Lunatic to the business owner's background.

The victim was suspected of having connections with the mafia and may have been responsible for the deaths of a couple of rival business owners. After finishing the article Kotetsu set the paper back on the coffee table, he was no longer in the mood for the funny papers; the article was enough to send a chill up his spine. He then got up from his seat and started to head to his own room to make sure everything was packed.

Later that night, Maverick was watching as Kotetsu and a cab driver loaded their luggage in the trunk and the back seat of a taxi car. After they have finished and slammed the trunk shut, Kotetsu was left with one question.

"How are we all going to fit in this car?" he asked as he wiped some sweat off his brow. "It'd be a real squeeze to fit the three of us in there..."

"That's because you'll be riding with the luggage to keep an eye on it and make sure it gets to the station." Maverick pointed out. "Barnaby and I already have our own ride."

"Oh, I see how it is..." Kotetsu grumbled with a hint of sarcasm.

"Is there a problem Mr. Kaburagi?" Maverick asked, there was a slight tone in his voice that made it seem more like a mild warning rather than a question.

"Nope, not at all." Kotetsu said with a small sigh. "Where is Barnaby anyway? I haven't seen him all evening."

Maverick then looked a little concerned. "That's actually a good question. Do you think you could go look for him?"

"Alright, alright, I'm going." Kotetsu said as he headed back to the hotel. He first headed to the reception desk and asked the receptionist if they had seen Barnaby. He figured that being that the guy was such a rising star, he'd be somewhat easy for people to spot.

However, after some searching Kotetsu found that it wasn't as easy to find Barnaby as he thought it'd be. He asked around, but no one saw Barnaby, Kotetsu hurried to the usual spots he'd see him, but he wasn't at any of them either. Kotetsu was then about to head up to Barnaby's hotel room to see if he was still up there, but stopped when he heard someone calling for him.

"Sir!" It was one of the receptionists from the front desk. "One of the staff was telling me you were looking for Mr. Brooks, I saw him while your bags were being carried out of the hotel, I saw him heading down that hallway." the receptionist explained while pointing the way.

"Ah, thank you very much, good night!" Kotetsu said with a smile. He then made his way down the hall, asking staff if they had seen Barnaby.

"He was talking with someone, I passed them by, it seemed like they were doing some kind of shady deal, sir." a maid explained. "I guess you can't judge a person by their pretty face, huh?"

"Is that so?" Kotetsu said with a look of concern, he was getting a bad feeling from what he was hearing. "By any chance, did you see where they went?"

"I'd check the door at the end of that hall; it's an exit that leads to a back alleyway, that's used by the staff to take out the trash." the maid explained. She then looked around to be sure no one was listening in on them. She then leaned in closer to Kotetsu and whispered. "But sometimes some of the guests go out there for more "private talks" if you know what I mean."

"I see..." Kotetsu then dug into one of his pockets and took out a couple of bills. "Here, something for your trouble, if you can keep talk of "shady business" just between us?"

The maid smiled thankfully, took the bills, and gave a nod. "Thank you very much sir, you have my word." She then took her leave.

Kotetsu then left to find the door, when he found it he stepped out into the alleyway. It was a huge contrast to the ritzy interior of the hotel; it was dark, secluded, and perfect for those that wanted to a shady secret rendezvous. Kotetsu stayed alert, years living in a tough city like Sternbild taught him well enough that in places like this you had to be aware of your surroundings. If not, you just might find yourself with a gun to your head or end up on the ground with a couple broken ribs and your wallet gone.

"Is this enough?" said a familiar voice from further down the alley.

Kotetsu froze mid step, he took a moment to really listen. He could hear at least two people talking to each other.

"You're a still a little short, pretty boy." said a second voice; this one was rougher than the first.

"I had to cut into my partner's pay to get you this, you'll take it and be happy or we're done here." No doubt about it the first voice definitely belonged to Barnaby.

Kotetsu moved in even closer, getting lower to the ground, trying to stay out of their view. Luckily there was another alley connected to the one the three of them were in. Kotetsu ducked in the other alley, well out of view, but still close enough to hear a little of what they were saying.

"Fine then..." the man with the rougher voice said."But I'm warning you kid, you're digging up some real trouble."

"I don't care. Just tell me what I want to know." Barnaby said in a dark tone.

Kotetsu, tried to peek out slightly from behind the wall of the alley he was hiding in. He could barely make out the two figures with the lack of light. Judging from what he could see, Barnaby was making some sort of deal with a rather unsavory looking man. He could see that they exchanged envelopes and were talking in more of a low tone so that it was hard to hear.

"...Ouroboros..."

That was the only real word that Kotetsu could make out. Right then however, he felt something on one of his shoes. Looking down, Kotetsu saw a rat that, to him, looked about the size of a small dog. Kotetsu suddenly flailed to get the creature off of him while holding his hands over his mouth to keep himself from screaming. This however did not stop him from knocking over one of the garbage cans making a loud "clatter" that caught both men's attentions.

"Damn it!" Kotetsu rushed to a nearby dumpster and hid behind it.

"I heard that racket come from down here..." said the man that Barnaby was dealing with. Though Kotetsu wouldn't dare try to look, he could tell they were pretty close to where he was hiding. He could hear the "click" from that man's gun as he prepared it to take a shot if he found the intruder.

Kotetsu could feel his heart hammering away in his chest, he really messed things up this time, and it would cost him his life. He could hear the armed man moving closer to his hiding spot, he tried to steady his breathing and as stay calm as possible.

Kotetsu's life started to flash before his eyes. He was reminded of all the regrets and the people he'd be leaving behind if he had his brains blown out in this godforsaken place. His mother, Muramasa, Kaede, and even that big old ox Antonio came to mind oddly enough. He would have laughed a little at that, if the situation wasn't so dire right then. Suddenly Kotetsu flinched when he realized the footsteps of the armed man were almost right next to him. Kotetsu held his breath, closed his eyes tightly, and silently prayed.

"It was probably a cat..." Barnaby said suddenly. "We both got what we want so I'm not going to waste my time here any longer than I have to."

This caught the man's attention; he turned back and looked at the blonde. "I could have sworn I saw..."

"I saw nothing, let's head back before someone really does see us out here and starts to ask questions." Barnaby said as he started to walk back to the staff entrance of the hotel.

"Of course, you wouldn't want your pretty little reputation ruined, now would you?" the man said as he followed Barnaby.

When he was sure they were out of earshot Kotetsu released his held breath. His heart was still pounding from that scare. "Just what the Hell is that kid doing with guys like that...?" he quietly asked.

When Kotetsu felt it was safe to leave his hiding spot he returned to the main alleyway behind the hotel. As he walked back to the staff entrance he noticed something on the ground, it was a folded piece of paper. Kotetsu picked it up and opened it. His eyes were greeted with a rather malicious looking red emblem, a serpent eating its own tail, with a sword being piercing it. Looking at it sent a chill through Kotetsu's spine, as though he had just received a bad omen. He folded the piece of paper up again, for a second he was thinking about throwing it away, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind telling him not too. He put the paper in his pocket and went back inside the hotel.

Later he met up with Maverick and Barnaby; they were still waiting by the taxi cab. "Oi, there you are! I was looking all over for you!" Kotetsu said as he approached them. He was feeling a little light headed as nervousness started to take hold when Barnaby suddenly locked eyes with him.

"We were thinking about leaving you behind, old man." He said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"A-Ah, don't be so cruel, Bunny!" Kotetsu said with a nervous laugh.

"Bunny?" Maverick said as he gave a confused blink.

"It's not Bunny, my name is Barnaby!" the blond said stubbornly.

"Okay, enough you two!" Maverick said with a sigh. "We are all here now, so let's get going before we miss that train."

Barnaby then tried to regain his composure. "Yes, Uncle Maverick."

Kotetsu gladly went to the taxi and got into the front passenger seat. After closing the door, he caught one more look at Barnaby. Kotetsu spotted the younger man digging into one of his jacket pockets; the blonde then looked surprised and looked back towards the hotel.

"Is something wrong Barnaby?" Maverick asked when he noticed Barnaby's strange behavior.

"Ah, I must have dropped something." The blonde said as he took a step towards the hotel.

"I hope it wasn't important, we don't have time to go looking for such things, we did have to wait for your partner a while after all." Maverick pointed out.

Though their words were a little muffled thanks to the glass of the taxi windows, Kotetsu could still hear much of what they were saying. That piece of paper that he picked up probably belonged to Barnaby; that just made things all the more worse when the blonde cast a glare right at him. Kotetsu must have looked rather unnerved, because Barnaby's glare soon melted into a more questioning look. Barnaby then started to approach the taxi cab, but luckily the cabbie started the engine and started to drive off.

Kotetsu gave a sigh of relief; he was spared, for now. But he'd have to think up of a story to cover his ass; Barnaby would more than likely have questions for him when they'd arrive at the train station. Kotetsu would need a reasonable story, and would probably have to sleep with one eye open until things calmed down. Kotetsu's hand unconsciously rested on his pocket that held the paper he had found in the alley. He couldn't help but think about that suspicious meeting Barnaby had with that shady man from before and the ominous feeling that came with looking at the symbol on the paper.

-End of Chapter-


	8. Under the Pale Moon Light

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 8  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 3857  
**Pairing:** None.  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** Sorry this took a bit of a while to get out there. Unfortunately I had to take this chapter and rewrite and readjust a lot of it after realizing that it would be smarter to take it in a different direction. Thank you for your patience! I hope that you will enjoy it!

-o-o-

Barnaby didn't trust him, not one bit. Everything about Kotetsu T. Kaburagi just rubbed him the wrong way. From his irritatingly old fashioned outlook on life to his constant prying into his personal matters, the older man just seemed fond of finding new ways of annoying him. Barnaby just couldn't see what his Uncle saw in that man that made him a potential "asset" to his career. Barnaby never really saw the man practice, even though when he had caught Kotetsu practicing that one time the older man seemed more competent than he originally thought. But that still didn't excuse his meddling, his prying into if he's eating or sleeping well, or his useless tips about stage presence or dancing.

Which is why Barnaby found it quite odd when Kotetsu was quiet for the two day train trip; not one question or even an attempt to pester him like he usually would. It made Barnaby a little suspicious, especially given the events at the hotel the day before. Because of this he insisted to his Uncle Maverick that Kotetsu sit with them for the ride.

Maverick seemed to take this as a good sign that Barnaby was finally interested in getting along with the showbiz veteran. Kotetsu however, seemed a little nervous for the majority of the train trip. Barnaby's imagination toyed with the possibilities as to why, maybe he broke something at the hotel, maybe he was starting to learn his place (though that was highly unlikely), or maybe, just maybe, it could have had to do with that interruption during his meeting with his informant. It seemed pretty unlikely at first, but the more that Barnaby thought about it, the more that he could see it. Or maybe it was just his bored imagination playing games with him.

The whole train ride Kotetsu seemed to try to distract himself by looking out the window even though the passing scenery. He seemed determined not to fall asleep, at least until both Barnaby and Maverick were asleep first. The older man would look back at the two on occasion, checking if they were both still awake, and then look back out the window.

"What's so interesting out there?" Barnaby finally asked, trying not to sound too interested. "You've been staring out there for the whole trip."

"The moon is really lovely tonight, take a look for yourself." Kotetsu said as he pointed towards the window.

Barnaby looked out the window and saw that much of the outside landscape was dimly light under the pale light of the moon. The stars were more visible as well, almost looking like a beautiful moving picture.

"Since we are in the country side, the stars can really shine since there is no lights out here. I used to watch the night scenery like this whenever I had a hard time sleeping on night trips." Kotetsu explained. "It's kind of relaxing, huh?"

Barnaby was about to agree, but he then felt a little stubborn when he remembered that he did not like this man. "You're just being a sentimental old man."

"Hmph...You're just a brat." Kotetsu said with a slight pout. He then continued to watch the passing scenery, waiting for Barnaby to fall asleep first.

Kotetsu was starting to feel just how tired he really was, not just because it was so late either, but from just the whole tour in general. Knowing that it was just about over must have added to the feeling. Kotetsu couldn't wait to just go home and be with his family for a while before the next one. Eventually he stopped seeing the scenery and started roaming down memory lane, remembering the tours he had been on with his wife. They'd both watch the passing scenery like this, both talking about the good and bad of their tours and what to do to make the next one better.

Kotetsu's eyes then landed on Barnaby again, checking if he would be falling asleep anytime soon. He wasn't going to take any chances with this kid, especially with what he saw the night before. This kid could really be dangerous business if he was involved with such shady types, with Kaede and his family; he had to stay on his toes. Kotetsu was not going to let anyone hurt them; he'd fight tooth and nail to the bitter end if he had to.

But as Kotetsu would sneak glances at the blonde, he found that he had to admit that there was something about the way that Barnaby was watching the scenery that made him seem a little more human. Even though the young man was quick to throw barbs at Kotetsu's "sentimental" ways, he seemed to be giving it a chance himself. Barnaby was young and stubborn, in a way it kind of reminded Kotetsu of Kaede, as much as he didn't want to admit it. Would she be this difficult when she got older? The honey eyed man shuddered at the thought.

"Why are you staring at me?" Barnaby said suddenly.

"Huh?" Kotetsu said with a confused blink. His eyes almost wouldn't open after they closed; reminding him just how sleepy he was getting. "Oh sorry, I guess I was just lost in thought. I didn't mean to stare."

"Why don't you just go to sleep?" Barnaby asked, his voice wasn't as cold as it usually was, it almost seemed like he was a little concerned. "It's obvious that you're tired."

"Not yet." Kotetsu said, though sleep did sound like a wonderful idea at that point.

Barnaby frowned a little. "I take it you don't trust me?"

"What do you mean?" Kotetsu said with a yawn.

"You've been watching me and Uncle Maverick since last night, almost like you're expecting something to happen." Barnaby explained. "Do you expect we're going to hurt you in your sleep? That makes no sense, unless you're hiding something." There was the slightest hint of a threat in his voice; Barnaby was testing the waters really, just trying to see what kind of reaction he'd get out of the man. From what he had personally seen from Kotetsu, the man didn't seem like the type that was good at keeping secrets.

The look Barnaby got from Kotetsu right then actually surprised him, perhaps he had underestimated his partner. For a few moments all traces of the clumsy, silly old man were gone, and in his place was a man that looked dead serious. It was kind of like staring a tiger right in the eye, Barnaby had a feeling that if he were to make any sudden movements that even looked like it could be a possible attack, that Kotetsu wouldn't hesitate to beat him senseless.

However, Kotetsu regained his usual composure soon enough, he even gave a weary smile. "What would I have to hide? I'm just an old fashioned song and dance man."

Seeing how Kotetsu was able to "switch" so quickly like that just reinforced Barnaby's suspicions that he could not trust that man. The two continued to keep an eye on the other, tiredness forgotten.

The next day Kaede, Anju, and Antonio were waiting at the train station for the train that Kotetsu and Barnaby were going to be arriving on. Antonio had walked off to buy them something to eat, leaving Kaede and Anju seated on a bench watching the tracks. Trains came and went, some of the passengers leaving in a hurry, others being greeted by their own family.

"Did their train come yet?" Kaede asked with a bored tone. "I don't see why I had to come too."

"Patience Kaede, the train will be here when it gets here." Anju said with a sigh. "Your father would be happy to see you after being on tour."

Kaede watched as people met at the station, some hugging and giving light pecks on the cheek. Some looked like complete families, it reminded her of a time when her Grandmother brought her out to greet both her Mother and Father when they returned from one of their last shows together. It was a good memory, being hugged and kissed by both of her parents.

A train whistle blared as the latest train came towards the station, startling Kaede from her thoughts. She looked up and watched the passing cars and windows, hoping to catch a glance of her father. The train came to a stop with a slow screech of the breaks and a hiss of steam. The passengers were getting off the train and were walking out onto the platform. One of them was wearing a familiar looking white and black newsboy hat.

Kaede got up from her seat and headed towards the man, as she got closer she could see that it definitely was her father, she almost didn't recognize him. He looked pretty tired; stubble could be seen with his usually well kept beard. The man gave a long yawn, stretched, and moved his head from side to side to crack his neck, he was glad to be able to stretch his legs.

"Dad!" Kaede called out. "Dad! Over here!"

Kotetsu caught the sound of his daughter's voice; he looked around and finally spotted her. A smile spread across Kotetsu's face as he hurried over to his daughter, set his suitcase down, and took her into his arms for a hug. "You came to greet your Papa?" Kotetsu soon let her go and gently ruffled her hair. "Thank you Kaede."

"Dad! You're going to mess up my braid!" Kaede complained with a huff.

Kotetsu laughed. "How about Papa braids it again for you later, okay?" He then picked up his suitcase and looked around for anyone else. "Please don't tell me you came here by yourself..."

"No, grandma brought us! She's over there!" Kaede then pointed to Anju.

Anju gave a small smile and waved at her son. But she soon looked a little concerned at her son's unkempt appearance.

"Hello mom, thank you for coming." he said as he walked over to her.

"Kotetsu, you're a mess." Anju said while she looked him over, she seemed a little concerned.

"Huh? Oh yeah, it was a little bit of a rough ride during the trip, I couldn't get much sleep." Kotetsu said as he scratched the back of his head.

Kotetsu hadn't caught a wink of sleep that night, the incident at the hotel and the hint of a threat that Barnaby had made last night were still fresh in his mind. It was a reminder that he had to tread lightly with him and probably Maverick as well. But as much as Kotetsu didn't like the brat, still couldn't help but still worry for Barnaby in the back of his mind. He blamed it on his instincts as a father; Barnaby was so young, he shouldn't be delving into shady dealings; he should be enjoying life, maybe meet some lucky girl, and just live. Kotetsu thought back on that moment when he and Barnaby were both watching the night time scenery pass by the train. Barnaby didn't seem to be as much of the snarky bastard that he usually acted like around Kotetsu when they were away from the cameras and the press. It left mixed feelings for the older man, maybe there was a little more to the kid than he gave him credit for. Perhaps that kid he was watching the moon with him was a glimpse of the real Barnaby Brooks Jr.

Kotetsu shook his head gave a sigh. "Just one year, one year and I'm done with him and show business for good." he reminded himself. There was no point in getting too worried about such things right now, he just had to fulfill his contract and then he could go on with his life.

"Did you say something dad?" Kaede asked after catching her father's voice, but not what was being said.

"Heh, it's nothing important, just can't wait to get home and sleep." Kotetsu said as he gave a smile.

Suddenly Kaede's face lit up. "Oh! Look! It's Barnaby!" she said excitedly.

Kotetsu bit his lip; he hoped that she was just seeing Barnaby get off the train. But unfortunately things could never be that simple for the cat bearded man, for when he looked over his shoulder he found himself face to face with the younger man. "Hey Bunny..."

"My name's not..." Barnaby bit back a comment when he saw Kaede hurry over to him. "Hello, Kaede, isn't it?"

"Yep!" Kaede said with a smile. "Did you have a good trip with my dad? I saw you both in the magazines!" She then continued on, soon enough she had Barnaby was signing one of her magazines.

Kotetsu was thankful for the temporary distraction, he was about to sneak away, but he hadn't counted on a luggage cart that was being wheeled by to go right into his path. With the lack of sleep that he had been suffering, Kotetsu couldn't stop himself in time and crashed right into the cart; earning the gawking stares of passersby, Kaede, and Barnaby. Baggage toppled over and Kotetsu tried to help the station worker pick up the various bags and suit cases.

"I'm so sorry! Let me help you with that!" Kotetsu was so busy helping with the luggage that didn't notice that the paper that he had found in the alley from the night before had fallen out of his pocket and landed on the wooden floor of the platform.

Barnaby spotted the piece of paper, walked over, and picked it up. After glancing back at Kotetsu he then unfolded the piece of paper, only to be greeted by a familiar ominous symbol. It was then that things started to make sense; looking back at his partner Barnaby gave an irritated sigh. The old man's meddling was going way too far now.

"Kotetsu, we have some business to discuss quickly." Barnaby said as he grabbed Kotetsu by the arm. "I hope you don't mind, but it's rather important."

The hidden tone behind those last few words left Kotetsu feeling a little uneasy. He set down his own suit case and looked to his mother. "I'll be right back."

Kotetsu then let Barnaby lead him away to someplace more secluded, it was a good distance away from the others which was starting to make the honey eyed man a little uneasy. When they were sure they were alone they started to talk.

"What's this about?" Kotetsu said as he placed his hands on his hips. "I'm tired and I want to go home, so let's make this quick."

"Could you please stop complaining?" Barnaby said with an irritated sigh. He then looked Kotetsu right in the eye and continued. "You said that you went looking for me back at the hotel, where exactly did you go?"

Kotetsu had a feeling that this would be coming soon enough, luckily on the train Barnaby seemed unwilling to bring up the subject in front of Maverick. This gave time for Kotetsu to at least try to think up of a reasonable story. "I went to your room to see if you were there, when I didn't find you I looked in the lobby, and around the pool. There, you happy?"

"Then care to explain why this fell out of your pocket?" Barnaby said as he showed Kotetsu the paper with the symbol.

"What? That thing?" Kotetsu had to think fast. "I found it as I was passing through the lobby. I was going to give it to the people at the front desk in case someone was looking for it. But when I saw the time I guess I just forgot and hurried back to meet Maverick at the taxi."

Barnaby frowned; he wasn't sure if he could believe a word that Kotetsu said. It didn't sound all that unbelievable, but it was still just a little too convenient. He decided to take a chance and call Kotetsu out on his bluff. "You're lying." As soon as he said that he noticed the older man's face falter. He was right, Kotetsu wasn't being honest. Soon enough he had the man against the wall. "Where were you really old man?"

Kotetsu glared at him defiantly and stayed quiet.

"That was you out there in the alley that night; wasn't it?" Barnaby then pressed his forearm against Kotetsu's throat. The man was too tired to fight back at full strength, so he had an advantage for the time being. "I'm only going to say this once, stay out of my business, old man. Or you're going to end up getting yourself hurt."

Kotetsu shoved Barnaby off of him, the blonde seemed a little surprised that the older man was stronger than he looked. Kotetsu rubbed his sore throat and glared at Barnaby. "You're the one that's going to get hurt. I don't know what it is that you're getting yourself into, but you should stop before you find yourself too deep in something that you won't be able to escape."

"You...!" Barnaby took a step towards Kotetsu, but stopped going any further when he felt a large hand grasp his shoulder in a firm grip. Looking back Barnaby then locked eyes with Antonio, who didn't look all too pleased.

"Is there a problem here?" Antonio asked, there was a slight threatening tone hidden in his words.

"Tonio!" Kotetsu said with a smile. "You're a sight for sore eyes, you silly cow!"

Antonio snorted when he heard the "cow" comment. "Your mother asked me to see what was taking you two so long."

"Yeah, we should be heading back now." Kotetsu said with a yawn. "I really need to get me some shut eye." He then started to head back to where Anju and Kaede were waiting for them.

"Hey! Wait, I wasn't done talking with you!" Barnaby called after the older man; he was of course, ignored. "That man is so irritating..."

"Tell me about it, I've known him for years." Antonio added as he gave a sigh.

"That wasn't your business to get involved in!" Barnaby said as he glared at Antonio.

"Yeah, I know that." Antonio said. He didn't seem all that fazed, he simply gave a shrug."But regardless, Kotetsu is my close friend, so I don't want to catch you treating him so roughly like that again. Got it?"

"Or you'll do what?" Barnaby asked. "You can't be around all the time."

"Kid, don't even tempt me. I'm twice your size and I could probably fold you in half." Antonio said in a blunt tone. "And besides, I know very well that Kotetsu can fight if he's in a pinch."

Barnaby looked away from Antonio and started to make his way back to the others. "Tell your friend to stay out of my business!"

Antonio laughed as he started to follow Barnaby back. "I'll try, but I can't guarantee he'll actually listen."

Upon arriving they found a rather annoyed looking Kotetsu talking with Maverick. Kaede wasn't too far away; she seemed rather pleased with herself. Kotetsu seemed to get getting agitated as Maverick seemed to press the issue of what they were talking about. He bit back his comments though, he wasn't about to get in an argument with the man.

"What's going on?" Antonio asked, looking a little confused.

Anju shook her head and gave a small sigh. "That girl, I swear, she's sometimes just as bad as her father. She mentioned to Mr. Maverick that Kotetsu and Barnaby weren't getting along, I told her not to, but she just went right ahead and did it."

"Kotetsu's not in trouble, is he?" Antonio asked, looking a little worried.

"I don't know; I can't really understand what they are talking about. Either way, Kotetsu seems to be none too pleased." Anju explained.

"Damn it..." Kotetsu said under his breath as he turned around, picked up his suit case, and stormed off.

Barnaby looked just as clueless as Antonio; he then walked over to his uncle to get some answers. "What was that about?"

Maverick looked at Barnaby and smiled. "Well, according to the Kaburagi girl, it seems to be that Mr. Kaburagi hasn't been getting along with you too well."

"Did you fire him?" Barnaby asked. Even if he didn't like the man that much, he still felt that would have been going a bit too far for such a petty reason.

"No, but I told him he needs to make more effort." Maverick explained. "So I came up with a lovely idea; I asked him if he could spend more time with you in his free time. You know, for "bonding" between the two of you."

Barnaby blinked a couple of times as he let this new information click. "Please tell me that you are joking Uncle Maverick."

The old man simply gave a smile. "My boy, now why would I joke about something that could affect your career?"

"Seriously Uncle Maverick, we can perform just fine without being friendly behind the scenes." Barnaby insisted.

"True, that is one of the good parts of the business, but I think it'd be good for you to try to be a little more social. Perhaps it could help you stay out of trouble if you had a friend." Maverick said with a smile.

"What do you mean by that, Uncle Maverick? I haven't been getting into trouble..." Barnaby then noticed that Maverick was giving him a knowing look.

"I noticed that your partner's pay was missing as I was packing my belongings." Maverick explained. "Really now Barnaby, I understand that a young man such as yourself may be looking for thrills, but taking your partner's pay to help pay for them isn't very becoming for a rising star."

Barnaby broke eye contact with Maverick and cast his eyes toward the ground. "That was..." He couldn't tell his uncle, not after he had promised to stop "digging up the past" as Maverick would put it. "I'm sorry, Uncle Maverick."

"I'm not sure if I'm the one that you should be apologizing to. Mr. Kaburagi is the one that lost his pay." Maverick pointed out. "He won't be able to be paid until later, that could have been money that him and his family needed."

It was then that Barnaby felt a little guilty, Uncle Maverick's tone just made it all the worse. He didn't like to disappoint the man; especially after all he had done for him over the years. And then there was Kotetsu, even if he didn't like him, what he did was unfair. "No, I understand Uncle Maverick."

"Good, I've arranged with Mr. Kaburagi that you two will be enjoying each other's company later this evening." Maverick said with a chipper tone. "I'll also be organizing other times when you two will spend time together. Think of it as something like "play dates"."

"Wait, what...?" Barnaby said with a blink.

And so began some of the most irritating few weeks that Barnaby ever had to deal with in his young life.

-End of Chapter-


	9. Getting To Know You

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 9  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 3105  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** Another short update before I run to work!

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. So expect some things like slang from that kind of era and other such things. Also, please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU; so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea, then I'd honestly advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that on with the show!

-o-o-

"..."Play dates", he says..."It would be good for you", he says..." Barnaby muttered under his breath as he made his way down the sidewalk. For the past couple of weeks he and his partner had tried to spend some quality time together. However those attempts ended in them arguing or occasionally waking up the next day in a jail cell. "Never ever going drinking with him again...ever." Barnaby grumbled.

He was supposed to spend time with Kotetsu again that day, but at the moment Barnaby was taking his sweet time going to the Kaburagi house. The young blonde took some time to walk around the city without the cameras following; it was nice to have a little time to himself. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he sometimes found being in the spotlight a bit stressful. Sometimes he actually did want to ask Kotetsu how he was able to keep a smile on his face even though his role was less than flattering. But at the same time Barnaby was still being stubborn, he didn't want to admit that maybe he could use a little advice.

For now Barnaby just tried to push such things to the back of his mind, he instead tried to focus on exploring the city. He had roamed around for a good portion of the morning, looking for places that he had remembered visiting during his childhood. While many of his memories were a little fuzzy, he still knew enough to notice that a lot of what he had known as a child had changed. It was sad in a way; it was like Sternbild itself was starting to eat away at the remnants of his past.

"So this place is gone too?" Barnaby said as he looked at a rundown shop.

At one time it was a toy shop that his parents took him to when he was little. Barnaby remembered seeing a little blue toy robot that he instantly fell in love with, while he didn't get it then, he remembered getting it for his birthday later that year. Barnaby couldn't help but give a bittersweet smile, the shop was gone, but he still had the blue robot toy. It and the memories it held were precious to him, as silly as it sounded, it sometimes served as a reminder to him that he had to keep going in life.

Suddenly a ringing could be heard, it was a bell. Looking over his shoulder, Barnaby saw that it was the bell of a clock tower that stood in front of the entrance of a local park, it was noon. The blonde gave a small sigh; he knew he couldn't avoid his "play date" with Kotetsu forever. Barnaby stuffed his hands in his pockets and started to make his way to the Kaburagi house.

Being Sunday and after church service, Anju was enjoying some time to herself tending the garden that she had in the yard of Kotetsu's home. Being that her and Muramasa's home was above the liquor shop, there was no space for her to have a garden save for potted plants that would sit outside the windows which were often knocked over by a cat or birds. While Kotetsu had offered to have them live with him, both of the other Kaburagi's had their own pride, and declined the offer. However, Anju did gladly take up Tomoe's offer to make use of their yard for her gardening.

Anju was about to go inside to make some tea and have a small break from the sun when she suddenly caught sight of Barnaby walking towards the house. "Hello Mr. Brooks."

Barnaby caught sight of Anju, smiled, and gave a wave. "Good afternoon Mrs. Kaburagi, is Kotetsu home?"

Anju gave a nod and a slight smile. "Yes, he is, but he's practicing right now so you may have to wait for a little while."

"Practicing?" Barnaby said with a blink.

"Yes, he and his wife had the basement made into a practice studio after they bought this house." Anju explained. "In fact, if you follow me this way..." She then headed for the side of the house.

Barnaby followed Anju, she stopped next to one of the basement windows, as he got closer he could hear music and the sound of tap shoes. When the blonde got close enough he peered into the window that Anju then pointed to. Barnaby could see that the basement of the Kaburagi house made a decent sized practice studio; he could see the floor had obviously seen a lot of use. It was still a little hard for him to really believe that Kotetsu was the one using such a space for practicing. Often to Barnaby the older man seemed a little lazy. And yet there was Kotetsu, dancing even better than he was when Barnaby caught him that one time.

Kaede was seated on a bench nearby as his audience. He then stopped and turned to look at her. "Kaede, want to help your Papa with his practice?" Kotetsu said with a grin.

Kaede smiled, got up from her seat, and hurried over to join her father. After counting out the beat the two then started to dance a few simple steps together. Kaede was actually pretty good, she and Kotetsu danced in step with each other pretty well. While it was obvious the "Showbiz Veteran" had to tone down a lot of his steps to Kaede's level, it was still a nice routine, but it wasn't at the level that Kotetsu displayed just before.

It seemed odd to Barnaby seeing such a thing being considered as practice, but then again, that was pretty much what Kotetsu had to do as his character "Tiger" during a lot of his part of the act. Barnaby had to wonder if it ever frustrated him. "I never really saw him practicing when we were on tour..."

"Hmm? Well, it is possible Kotetsu has been lacking in his own self confidence. My son might be a foolish man, but he does take his job seriously." Anju said suddenly, there was a small smile on her face as she watched her son and granddaughter dance together. "You have to understand that before he went into a contract with you, he hadn't danced with a partner since his wife became ill, then shortly after her death he quit performing all together."

"His wife and him were dancing partners?" Barnaby took a couple of moments to fully absorb this information. "And she died?"

"Yes, the two of them had danced together for years. Tomoe was the discipline that Kotetsu was missing in his life." Anju said as she thought back on the memories. "When she got ill it obviously effected his work, and when she finally passed away he didn't have it in him to continue being in show business anymore."

Suddenly a lot of things made sense to Barnaby now, while he still didn't trust the man of course, but Kotetsu became a little less confusing.

"How was that, dad?" Kaede asked after they finished their routine.

"Very good, darling!" Kotetsu then hoisted Kaede up into his arms and spun around with her. "Big finish!"

"Ahhh! Dad! Stop that!" Kaede yelled.

Anju shook her head at the scene. "How about you come inside and join me for some tea? I'm sure Kotetsu's just about done with practice now."

"That would be lovely, thank you, Mrs. Kaburagi." Barnaby said as he followed her back to the front door of the house. Upon entering he was met with Kaede and Kotetsu leaving the basement.

"Barnaby came for a visit again!" Kaede said with a smile.

Kotetsu looked rather surprised to see Barnaby; he then sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, sorry, I forgot you were going to be coming over today."

"Don't worry, that's something I've come to expect from you by now." Barnaby said with a shrug.

"Hmph..." Kotetsu said nothing and headed for the staircase.

"He'll be joining us for lunch, Kotetsu." Anju added.

"Right, right..." Kotetsu could be heard saying as he disappeared up the stairs.

If it was one thing that Barnaby had to admit, it was that lunch at the Kaburagi house was much different than what he was used to. The mix of both English and Japanese languages made up a lot of the conversations; actually, Barnaby could've sworn he heard a couple of Spanish words being muttered by Kotetsu on occasion. The Kaburagi's talked a lot during their lunch and would often try to get Barnaby to join in on various subjects ranging from the weather, the garden, and the liquor store that their family owned.

"Kotetsu has a brother?" Barnaby said with a blink. He was trying to get a mental image of what an older brother of Kotetsu's might look like. It was hard enough dealing with one man like Kotetsu, imagining two of him was a scary thought.

"They are nothing alike." Anju added, there was a knowing smile on her face. "Muramasa is pretty much the opposite of his younger brother."

"Yeah, he's also a serious stick in the mud." Kotetsu pointed out, he then took a sip of his tea. "We get along like oil and water."

"But he shows that he does care in his own way, Kotetsu." Anju said with a smile.

Even if her two sons didn't get along usually, that didn't mean that they didn't care. Anju thought back on how Muramasa was the first that suggested that Kotetsu could work with him in the shop when Tomoe was ill and work for his brother was starting to dry up. Those two were so stubborn, but if one of them were in trouble, there was no doubt the other brother would come to help.

"Hmph!" Kotetsu didn't respond he just continued to eat his lunch. He was half tempted to ask how Muramasa was doing, but he'd wait until him and his mother were alone.

"They are both more stubborn than mules though." Anju said was a small laugh.

Barnaby tried to get an image of this man. "Does Muramasa dance?"

This time it was Kaede's turn to add to the conversation. "Nope, Dad's the only one that dances. Grandma and Uncle Muramasa think he should get a different job though."

"Kaede..." Kotetsu said with a tone of warning in his voice. He obviously didn't want to talk about that subject, especially with a guest in the house. Kaede pouted, but she said nothing more about the subject.

Barnaby had to admit that he was enjoying having lunch with the Kaburagis. The Kaburagis, despite their air of distance with each other, were still a family. Barnaby couldn't help but feel an odd sense of being a little at home with them; it was completely different from when he would have lunch with his uncle Maverick. Maybe it wasn't so bad spending some time with his partner now and then, maybe they could have more lunches like this.

"Oh, by the way, I figure that we could try going for a drink again." Kotetsu said suddenly.

This snapped Barnaby out of his thoughts; he then looked at the honey eyed man with a frown. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, remember what happened last time?"

The last time that Barnaby and Kotetsu tried to go out for drinks things did not go very well. The two of them were on their guard with each other, so it made the whole experience a little uncomfortable, which in turn led to them drinking a bit too much. While neither of them quite remembered what happened, the guards at the police station that they woke up in were kind enough to inform them that had caused quite a ruckus the night before. On top of that they both managed to have racked up some hefty fines for things ranging from disorderly conduct to property damage.

"Now, now, hear me out, this time I have a good idea..." Kotetsu began. "I'll invite Antonio along so he can be the sober guy that keeps us from drinking too much or making really stupid decisions."

"That actually sounds like a good idea." Barnaby said with a little surprise. It was simple, but it made some decent sense.

"Heh, thanks." Kotetsu said with a proud smile. "So we'll meet you tonight at Topmag Bar..."

Later that night Kotetsu, Antonio, and Barnaby had met up at the Topmag Bar. At first things started off a little tense, Barnaby and Kotetsu were a little cold around each other. It took some help from Ben and Antonio to break the ice. Even then, the two didn't start having proper conversations with each other until they had gone through a couple of drinks.

From there they actually started talking, it was idle chit chat at first, talking about Kotetsu's family and house, a little about Barnaby's time and studies in the States and in Europe. Barnaby actually studied dance at the Apollon School of Dance when he was younger, and eventually moved on to a school in Paris. Kotetsu talked a little about his days in vaudeville before he worked with Ben and Tomoe. A lot of what Kotetsu had learned in his early days was self taught and picked up from meeting and learning from other talent. However it was Tomoe who was the one that helped him refine his style and taught him ballroom dancing.

Antonio added more fuel to the fire by talking a little about his and Kotetsu's time as a pair of punks on the streets of Sternbild. How he and Kotetsu started off as rivals in fighting, but after a while they found out about each other's hidden talents somehow started forming a friendship. Ben added into it with couple of stories of the trouble they would get into and how they would often get Tomoe involved too.

Eventually their conversations turned to the subject of their work and their act. Barnaby mentioned that while their act had made an impact, he was hearing from social circles in the business that many of other names of stars and some of the critics were calling them uncouth or a one trick pony. Barnaby wasn't the type that usually cared for people's opinions on him. But he was a little surprised at just how much it could affect the success of a person in show business. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he wasn't really expecting as much of the stress that came with the job.

"That's the thing about classes and schools, they can teach you a lot of stuff, but some things you can really only learn when you enter the real world." Kotetsu pointed out.

"You sound so old fashioned." Barnaby said with a smirk.

Kotetsu pouted a little. "Hey! I'm just telling you from experience, kid!"

"Well then, what would you suggest, "Mr. Experience"?" Barnaby said with a hint of playful sarcasm.

Kotetsu looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, maybe slowly move the act from the slapstick routines to something more subtle? It's easy to play around during dance numbers, but with how we're doing it now it's like we're forcing the comedy. That and I'm getting really tired of getting elbowed in the ribs."

"Sorry about that, but some of your improvising is a little uncouth." Barnaby pointed out.

"I'm just working with what you guys give me!" Kotetsu shot back. "If you want something clever, you're looking at the wrong guy."

"I see you're point. But I'm a little surprised; some of your ideas aren't that bad." Barnaby admitted, his cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink. The alcohol helped him loosen up a little, and since the two weren't arguing it was easier to talk about things more civilly. "Have you tried bringing them up to Uncle Maverick?"

"Oh I do, but then somehow they get butchered into something else. Like that pie to the face and getting slapped with a fish." Kotetsu explained. He then glared at Antonio who was laughing.

"Sorry about that, I guess I did get a little carried away." Barnaby said with a small laugh as he thought back on those incidents. He then thought a little more about what him and Kotetsu had been talking about, maybe it wouldn't hurt if the two of them talked more about their act.

Barnaby got to learn a little more about Kotetsu that day. He wasn't a bad man, just a pest sometimes. But Kotetsu did seem to take his job seriously, and that was the important thing. Maybe they could work together a little better if they actually talked. But then again, maybe that was just the alcohol talking. Barnaby looked at the remaining drink in his glass, and swished it around a little before he finished it. He'd listen to Kotetsu and Antonio chatter on as they both had another drink. Eventually he felt a hand clap his back that nearly sent him face down into the bar counter.

"Come on boys! What do you say we go out and paint the town red?" Kotetsu said with a mischievous smile.

Both Antonio and Barnaby pumped their fists in the air and gave a short cheer. They then got up from their seats and followed Kotetsu out of the bar.

Ben watched the three of them and shook his head. "Oh boy, I bet I know where they're going to end up by morning."

The very next day Kotetsu, Barnaby, and Antonio all woke up in a small cell in the local jail, greeted by hangovers and confusion. No one had any memory of what exactly they did that landed them in there; all that they were told was that it involved paint, a few signs from some local shops, a stolen policeman's horse, and a lot of tapioca pudding.

"Antonio, you were supposed to be the sober guy..." Kotetsu groaned, he was nursing his head. "What in Heaven's name happened?

"I DON'T KNOW!" Antonio cried. Obviously the experience didn't fair too well on him either, whatever it was.

Barnaby looked like a complete mess. His hair was a tangled and messy, there were bags under his eyes, and a faint ringing in his ears that made his headache even worse. "I am **never** drinking with either of you two again! **Ever**!"

-End of Chapter-


	10. All That Jazz

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 10  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 3860  
**Pairing:** Hinted Keith/Cis  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny or the song "What's Next". Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators. "What's Next" belongs to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.  
**VTM:** I'm back with chapter 10! Thank you so much for reading this far, as I promised there is more substance in this chapter and a couple of interesting twists. I hope that you will enjoy this latest installment!

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. So expect some things like slang from that kind of era and other such things. Also, please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU; so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea, then I'd honestly advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that on with the show!

-o-o-

A little over a month had gone by since Barnaby and Kotetsu's last stay at the jail of the local police station. Barnaby kept to his promise of never going out to drink with Kotetsu again. However, the two did start to get along a little better since that night. While they did still get on each other's nerves now and then, they were at least able to talk to each other more. As the month went by Barnaby got to practice with Kotetsu more and would enjoy the occasional lunch or dinner with the Kaburagi family. It was starting to become a comfortable routine and Barnaby was secretly starting to enjoy it.

Kotetsu and Barnaby had also started to actually plan out and work on their routines together. Of course they still had to get approval from Maverick, he'd make his suggestions, but as time went Kotetsu and Barnaby started to ignore some of them. It wasn't like Maverick was the one that was going to be performing on the stage, and they were learning what the audience liked and what they didn't. Barnaby was starting to become more independent and it started to worry Maverick a little. He'd bring up his concerns to Kotetsu, but the show business veteran would wave off the man's concerns and reminded him that Barnaby was an adult.

Maverick wasn't appreciating how the act was suddenly changing; many of the choices were definitely not ones he would have made. Though it didn't hurt Barnaby's reputation, it was still out of his hands, he had worked hard with that boy. Maverick would try to regain more control over the act as the two participated in a few more shows. Their biggest performance yet had finally arrived that night.

The audience roared with laughter at the scene that played before them. That evening Barnaby and Tiger were the opening act before the premiere for the latest Keith Goodman film, "Sky High and the Army of Tomorrow". It took a lot of connections and calling in of favors by that Maverick, but they landed the spot. Kotetsu was particularly excited to see it; he loved films with heroes like Sky High and Mr. Legend. He even met Keith Goodman during his days in vaudeville, which was a real surprise to Barnaby. They decided to take some extra time planning out this act together.

The duo had their act in full swing; it had changed a bit since their first tour. Barnaby and Kotetsu were a little more comfortable with each other and, much to Maverick's annoyance; the two had started talking about what they should do for their comedy act and dance routines little more on their own. Maverick still had a lot of say on what they would do in the end; however there was no doubt that control over the act was slowly starting to change.

"You might be taller, but I have longer arms than you do!" Tiger pointed out. "Here, look!" He then held out his arm down ward towards the ground, Barnaby did the same and they compared the length of their arms.

"Oh? Trying to be clever Tiger?" Barnaby said with a laugh. He then held his own arm up in the air. "Let's try it this way."

Tiger suddenly turned away with an exaggerated look of disgust. "Ugh! B.O.!"

Maverick watched from his seat in the theater, he sat next two others. One was a man with messy brown hair with salt and pepper streaks and an almost lazy look on his face. He was dressed well, but with a certain air of casualness to his style. The other person was a young girl at the final years of her teens. She had a cute heart shaped face with nice full cheeks and light brown eyes, her looks made look a little childish in a way. She was dressed in a trendy black dress which helped make her look a little more mature.

"That was rather clever of you to give Barnaby a partner like that, Maverick." The man said as he watched on. "The comedy isn't half bad either; I'm actually having a decent time. What do you think, Karina?"

Much like Barnaby, Karina Lyle was a new face in show business; originally from England she had gained a following across the seas and had come to the United States to expand her career. Though, it was easier said than done, which was why she and Robert were joining Maverick for the movie premiere, it was more of a business meeting rather than a get together. Luckily for Karina, Robert was a long time friend with her parents, so he had her interests and safety as his top priority when it came to being her agent. It was comforting, especially since she was so far away from her friends, family, and home.

Karina watched the performance with a slight frown, while it was funny at times, it just wasn't to her tastes. "It's okay, but I don't see why you want me to team up with them for a show. These are not exactly people I'd be associated with."

"Well, you're still not all that known here Karina." Robert pointed out. "Mr. Maverick here is doing us a favor, though I am a little curious as to why." There was a tone of suspicion in the last part of his sentence. Robert was no fool and he'd be damned if was going to let Karina be taken advantage of.

"No need to be on your guard like that, Robert." Maverick said with a smile. "I have no intention of wronging you or Karina."

"Of course not..." Robert said with a shrug. "But that still doesn't answer the question; just what is your interest in my client, Maverick?"

"Simple, I'm looking for possible options for Barnaby. You see, Tiger's contract is only good for a year and he doesn't seem to be willing to continue after that. So I'm looking around for possible partners for after Tiger leaves." Maverick explained.

"I see, is there any reason in particular Tiger is going to leave? Do they have a problem getting along?" Robert asked. He wanted to make sure that the waters were safe for Karina; Robert was not going to leave his client with anything that could be harmful to her.

"Well, they have their disagreements, but who doesn't?" Maverick admitted.

Robert raised an eyebrow at that statement. It wasn't exactly encouraging to say the least, but he knew what it could mean for Karina's reputation in the circles of show business. "Well, I suppose that we can work something out, but I want to reserve the right for my client to walk out if she is mistreated in anyway."

"Of course, I understand." Maverick said with a nod.

It was right then that a new music number played, it caught Maverick's attention pretty quick, making him turn his attentions back to the stage. The tune was more jazzy than usual, with the start being small and quickly growing as more instruments joined in. The blare of the horns, the tunes of a piano, and the steady beat of drums made a mix of a smooth yet upbeat song. The audience seemed rather confused and surprised to hear such music at a more prestigious event.

"Hmm, this is an interesting surprise Maverick; did you have this set up?" Robert asked as he smiled, he was a fan of jazz music.

"Um, well, I..." Maverick was at a loss for words. He had no idea what just happened or how.

"I've been up, I've been down, I've been kicked to the ground, and that's nothing new for me!" Kotetsu sang. "Like the dead of the night when everything's all right, it's where I wanna be!"

Barnaby then began to sing as well. "You see the life I live is the life I choose, I follow no one's laws, I follow no one's rules! But when it's heads I win and tales you lose! It's not the game in which I choose!"

Barnaby and Kotetsu were dancing in what seemed to be more of a combination of both of their respective styles of dance. There were moments in the number where they did small solos that showed off their particular style. The audience could be heard murmuring with excitement.

"This is fun! And again, this is fun!" said a dashingly handsome blonde dressed in a white suit. He was Keith Goodman, the actor that was famous for playing the superhero Sky High. He then looked over at his companion that was sitting next to him. "Isn't it, Cis?"

Keith's companion was a pale young woman with white, bobbed hair, and dark blue eyes. She had the beauty of that of a porcelain doll, with the white gown that she was dressed in that matched well with Keith's suit. She looked over at him and gave a small nod. "I'm having a lot of fun; I'm glad that you invited me to come along."

"But of course! You've been a wonderful friend to me." Keith said with a bashful smile. "I wanted to take you out to have a little more fun."

It was then that the number was finally coming to a close. Both Barnaby and Tiger sang in unison for the final verse in the song.

" What's next? I think I'll hit the streets! What's next? I think I'll have a drink! What's next? I think I'll bet my luck! Luck's coming back my way! Hey, heeeeeey! Yeah!"

Upon the finish of their song and dance number the duo were greeted with the roar of applause. Barnaby and Tiger gave their bows to the audience and shook hands on a job well done. All the while Maverick watched them both from his seat with a less than pleased look on his face. While part of him was happy for the good publicity that Barnaby would get, another part of him was irritated with the fact that he was losing control over both Barnaby and the act. It wasn't supposed to be this way, not at all.

"Well, what do you think Karina?" Robert said suddenly. "Would you like to perform with them?"

"Not really, I'd like to do something more subtle, not all of that silly jumping around and hollering." Karina said with a slight frown. "You'd swear they were a pair of grasshoppers, especially that guy with the ridiculous looking legs. What was his name? Tiger...?"

"Karina..." Robert said with a weary sigh. He told her that she should play hard to get so no one would think of her as a push over, but this didn't seem so much like acting anymore.

"Yes, he is a bit of a problem, isn't he?" Maverick said in a thoughtful tone.

"Well, we can see if we can do a show or two together and see how it goes." Robert began. "If there is that much of a clash between them we'll cut it off from there. Sound fair?"

"That sounds reasonable enough." Maverick said with a nod.

It was not long before Barnaby and Kotetsu arrived to join them, both approached while whispering to each other about the routine.

"You were slow by half a beat..." Barnaby pointed out.

"Shut up! I was not!" Kotetsu said in a harsh whisper. Someone then suddenly shushed him, he bowed and apologized and continued to make his way to the seats that were reserved for them. He then plopped down in one of the seats, some of the popcorn he brought with him toppled out of the bag and landed on Karina.

"Hey! Watch it!" Karina said in a harsh tone. She was then shushed by nearby people in the audience.

Kotetsu gave a confused blink when he noticed her. "Oh, I'm sorry about that..." he said sheepishly. "Who are you? Didn't Maverick reserve this area?"

Maverick frowned at Kotetsu's disrespect. "These would be our guests..."

"Huh? Since when were we going to be joined by guests?" Kotetsu said with a blink.

Barnaby gave sigh. "Uncle Maverick told us just this morning..."

"O-Oh, really?" Kotetsu was a little embarrassed now. "I'm sorry, it's nice to meet you, miss?" he said as he held out his hand for a hand shake.

"Lyle, Karina Lyle." Karina said in a flat tone, refusing to take his hand.

Kotetsu's hand retreated and dug into the popcorn bag. He could feel an icy vibe coming from the young woman; he really must have made a bad first impression. He was sure he was going to get chewed out for this later. So Kotetsu tried to keep his mind on the movie, it really took him back to the days of his child hood and teen years when he'd save up a little and make time to see them.

Barnaby wasn't as invested in the movie as the rest of the audience; he'd glance at Kotetsu, only to find him hypnotized by the silver screen. He also noticed that Karina was also stealing a couple of glances at Kotetsu, maybe it was due to the occasional loud crunching from the older man eating his popcorn.

"Hey, you two want some?" Kotetsu said suddenly as he looked back and forth between Barnaby and Karina. He could feel them looking at him earlier, being seated between the two of them as they were doing this just made him feel all the more uncomfortable. Maybe it was because he had popcorn and neither of them did?

"No thank you." Barnaby said as he returned his gaze to the screen.

"I'm not hungry." Karina said stubbornly, but her stomach betrayed her and made a small growling noise. Kotetsu offered her some of his popcorn again and she reluctantly took a handful. "Thank you."

"It's no problem; take as much as you want." Kotetsu said as he looked back at the screen tossed another piece of popcorn in his mouth.

Karina hesitantly took another handful and tried to enjoy the movie. However, on occasion she'd feel eyes upon her, glancing over she'd catch sight of a pair of forest green eyes locked on her only to return to the screen when she caught sight of them. It wasn't a look of admiration or being sized up; it felt more like she was being seen as a trespasser.

After the film people were gathered in the lobby of the theater, drinks and food were set up for the guests of the premiere. People were chatting about the movie many went up to Keith and congratulated him on a job well done.

"He's not what I expected..." Barnaby said as he watched Keith mingle with the guests. "He's rather humble."

Kotetsu swallowed down some food that he had been eating. "Yeah, Keith's a really good guy; he's kind of a scatterbrain though." Soon he saw their chance to talk to the actor, took Barnaby by the hand and walked towards Keith.

Keith noticed the dancing duo approaching him and smiled. "Ah, I've been hoping to see you two! You both put on a great show, thank you and thank you again!"

Barnaby gave a confused blink. "Are you serious? He actually says that in real life too?"

"Yep. Hey Keith, you did a good job too, thank you for your hard work!" Kotetsu said with a grin.

Keith canted his head to the side, there was something a little familiar about this masked stranger. "Have we met before?"

Kotetsu scratched the back of his head. "Yes actually, it's me, Kaburagi, from the vaudeville circuit, remember?"

"Oh!" Keith's eyes practically twinkled at the name of an old friend. "Of course I remember! It is good to see you again Mr. Kabu-"

Kotetsu pressed a finger to Keith's lips to hush him. "Shh! Just call me "Tiger", okay? I'm not planning on staying in the show business game for that long."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Keith looked a little saddened after hearing that. "It's just so nice to see you again, Mr. Tiger. I'm glad that you got to dance at one of my premieres!"

"So how do you two know each other exactly?" Barnaby asked suddenly. Seeing Kotetsu interact with someone as famous as Keith Goodman was a little surreal in a way. Keith was a celebrated actor and Kotetsu for lack of a better way to say it was pretty much a forgotten name.

"Keith here got his start in vaudeville; he used to do things like dramatic readings and acting short scenes and plays." Kotetsu explained as he gave Keith a pat on the back.

"Yes, and that was how I was discovered. I then went on to do work in film and radio." The dashing blonde as he gave a nod. "I met Mr. Kabu- er, I mean, Mr. Tiger a little before he left show business. We became pretty fast friends before he finally left."

"I see..." Barnaby said as he took it all in. He watched as the two of them continued to talk and catch up, they even started talking about stories of their past experiences.

As much as Barnaby didn't want to admit it, he suddenly felt a little small in a way compared to them. There was also perhaps a little envy as well, not because the two men were off in their own little world chatting away about the old days, but how they were able to get along as well they did. Even when it came to Kotetsu and Antonio Barnaby envied their friendship a little as well. Sometimes Kotetsu made it look so easy to have friends.

"By the way, who was that lovely lady you've been with?" Kotetsu asked. "You sly dog..."

Keith then blushed a brilliant shade of red. "She's a very special person to me, her name is Cis. I can introduce her to you if you'd like." He then looked around for his date, but soon looked a little worried when he couldn't find her. "Oh, I guess she must have wondered off to get away from the crowds. She doesn't really like these functions that much, but she still comes with me to show support. She's a wonderful woman."

"She really sounds like it, I'm happy to hear that, Keith." Kotetsu said with a smile.

"I'm going to step outside; I'm starting to get a headache." Barnaby said suddenly, he then walked away from them.

"Is your friend okay, Mr. Tiger?" Keith asked as he watched Barnaby leave.

"He gets headaches once in a while sure, but I don't know." Kotetsu said with a sigh. "He just might be in a bad mood for some reason."

Barnaby made his way through the crowds, and headed for one of the exits in hope to get some fresh air. Upon stepping outside he was greeted by a cloudy night and view of the lit up city, he could hear the occasional rumble of thunder. It wasn't long before Barnaby heard voices nearby, normally he would have ignored it, but he could have sworn that he had heard his uncle's voice.

"I see, that's rather interesting Cis, I'm sure your father would be pleased with you."

Barnaby looked around for the sources of the voices, only to realize that they were coming from an area on the sidewalk just out of his view thanks to a nearby pillar. Barnaby could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end; he was listening to something he wasn't supposed to.

"Please continue to keep a watchful eye on Mr. Goodman; your position is very valuable." Maverick said with a small laugh. "Though, I suppose that I don't have to tell you that, if rumors are true, you've taken a shine to him, haven't you?"

"He is a good man." Cis said, her voice was mostly monotone. "We are friends..."

Maverick laughed again. "It's not bad to have feelings, my dear, but just don't let them distract you. Who knows what could happen because of that."

Cis picked up on an implying tone in the man's words, her hands then clenched into fists. "That will not happen."

"Be sure that it doesn't." Maverick said as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Cis pulled away from Maverick and started to head back to rejoin Keith in the lobby of the theater. Barnaby could hear her approaching, and quickly ducked behind a couple of nearby tall potted plants. He peered out from behind the plants and got a look at Cis. Just what was she talking about with his uncle?

Barnaby took a breath, steeled himself, and stepped back out into the open. He could hear Maverick approaching; he tried to act as natural as he could.

"Barnaby? What are you doing out here?" Maverick asked when he spotted the young man.

Barnaby looked at Maverick and gave a smile. "Ah, I just stepped outside. I was starting to get a headache from all the chatter in there. What are you doing out here, uncle?"

"Just getting a breath of fresh air. You both did very well on stage today." Maverick said with a smile. He then gave Barnaby a pat on the back. "Though, maybe next time please tell me when you two are going to pull a stunt like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I'm sorry; Kotetsu and I really wanted to impress the crowd, especially since it was such a big event." Barnaby said with a sheepish smile. "I should have said something, I'm sorry."

"I hope that Mr. Kaburagi isn't becoming a bad influence on you, Barnaby..." Maverick said with a look of concern.

"No, he's not. He's actually surprisingly helpful…in his own way." Barnaby explained as best as he could. "He can be annoying sometimes, but I've actually been learning a little from him."

"True, you looked really good on stage and you've earned yourself some good publicity. But just keep me in the loop next time, that's all I ask." Maverick said with a smile. "Ah yes, tomorrow you're going to be starting practice with Blue Rose."

"I still don't see the point of adding her, Kotetsu and I have been doing fine for the most part." Barnaby's eyes looked away from Maverick. "And what about Kotetsu? Isn't he going to be performing with us?"

"Mr. Kaburagi has earned himself a little time off. This is all just a temporary thing for now, just to add a little more variety to your act. You don't want it to become stale." Maverick pointed out. "Besides, Blue Rose is a lovely young woman; her involvement could add a certain appeal."

Barnaby still didn't like the idea, in his opinion two was enough, sometimes it was a little too much even, and three was definitely a crowd. But what else could he do but at least give his uncle's idea a chance? Besides, if she got on his nerves too much he'd find some way to chase her away. But then again, he thought the same way about Kotetsu.

-End of Chapter-


	11. Clouded Judgement

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 11  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 2630  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny or the song "What's Next". Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators and "What's Next" belongs to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.  
**VTM:** Sorry it took a while to get this chapter out, but here is the next installment! I hope that you will enjoy it!

**Warning:** This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-30's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. So expect some things like slang from that kind of era and other such things. Also, please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU; so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea, then I'd honestly advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that on with the show!

-o-o-

"Ouch! That was my foot!"

"Don't punch me!"

"Then learn how to use those two left feet of yours!"

This kind of banter had become quite common in the practice studio in the past couple of days. Maverick and Robert were sitting nearby watching the two would be partners, both men gave a long sigh. Things were not going as they had hoped; it had been a little over a week since the night of the premiere, Robert and Maverick were eager to jump in with getting the two to start working together.

"Not that way!"

"Where are you leading!?"

"I thought I was the one that was supposed to be leading!"

"...This is a disaster." Robert said as he rubbed one of his temples. He could feel an oncoming headache. "Hasn't your client had any experience in ballroom dance?"

"I'm not sure, I'm pretty sure it's been touched on at least in the classes that he had taken." Maverick said as he continued to watch Karina and Barnaby struggle to dance together. "But then again, maybe it wasn't."

Karina and Barnaby tried to do another turn, the looks on their faces making their attempt look more like something out of a comedy. It was then that one of them tripped over the other's leg and the two dancers both came tumbling down.

Both Robert and Maverick winced as they watched. If it was another pair of dancers, it would have been easy to laugh at the scene.

Barnaby was biting back his shortening temper as best as he could. He couldn't completely blame Karina for this; she didn't want anything to do with him either. "Uncle Maverick, this isn't going to work..."

"Nonsense Barnaby, it's going to be fine, you two just need time to get used to each other." Maverick said in a reassuring tone. "I mean look at you and "Mr. Tiger", you tolerate him and have gotten better at working with him, haven't you?"

"Yes...But that's something completely different." Barnaby grumbled.

"Oh? How so?" Robert asked. "From what I hear you two had just of rough a start."

Barnaby was about to answer, but the words wouldn't leave him. He had to take pause, Robert actually brought up a very good point. He originally never thought he'd work well with Kotetsu at all, yet their partnership had changed over what was nearing three months now. Perhaps it could be the same with Miss Lyle as well.

Karina didn't look too amused; she wasn't much of a fan of Barnaby's attitude and had been pretty much returning the favor in kind. "Why do we have to do ballroom dancing?"

"You said yourself that you wanted to do something more refined." Robert reminded her.

"There is also something romantic about ballroom dancing that audiences would enjoy." Maverick added. "It gives something that can play with the imaginations of the people making them want more."

"I'm not sure I'm really comfortable with that idea." Karina said as she pushed some of her hair behind one of her ears. "I don't really want people to get the wrong idea of what's between me and him."

"Now, now, you know how show business is." Maverick began. "Sometimes you have to just smile and play the part. In some cases an act can even become reality."

Karina could feel her skin crawl as she heard the old man say that. Something in his words left her feeling a little unnerved; perhaps it was the way that they were said with what was being said. It felt like in a way she was nothing but a plaything to be used as he saw fit. "I'm...I'm going to take a break for now. I'm too tired and too irritated for anymore of this nonsense." She then made her way out of the studio wanting to get far away from the old man.

"Karina..." Robert got up from his seat and followed after her.

Maverick sighed. "That girl isn't going to make it very far if she keeps refusing to play the game."

"To be honest, Uncle, I feel the same way. I don't exactly see the reason for the need of the "romantic" appeal." Barnaby said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You have to understand what people want, Barnaby. Sometimes you have to play with people's feelings and emotions to sell it to the audience." Maverick explained. "Also, you can think of this as building bridges in a way. Working well with Miss Lyle could lead to a valuable partnership between you two in the future."

"I already have a partner." Barnaby said bluntly. He didn't mean any disrespect to his Uncle, but he didn't like the idea of having something like that forced onto him. "And he's enough of a handful to deal with already."

"That may be true, but he's a temporary one, don't forget." Maverick explained. "Also, you were the one that had said on plenty of occasions that he's an incompetent partner. I'd think that you'd leap at the chance at having a better one."

"What?" Barnaby said with surprise. "A new partner? I thought you said she was only going to be with us for one or two shows."

"Well, I have been talking things out with Robert, if things go well she may be a good replacement for Mr. Kaburagi." Maverick explained.

Suddenly the past week made much more sense. During his and Karina's time practicing Maverick had Kotetsu keep his distance from the act, basically saying it was a much earned vacation of sorts. Barnaby didn't want to think it, but he felt an odd air of calculation behind his Uncle Maverick's actions. It wasn't going to be a show with the three of them at all.

"I...That's..." Barnaby couldn't bring himself to retaliate.

Maverick was right, he had complained a lot to him about Kotetsu and having to work with him. So why was he feeling uncomfortable with the prospect of finally having new partner? It was what he originally wanted, wasn't it? So why was the news bothering him so much?

"Does Kotetsu know?" Barnaby asked. It wouldn't be fair if Kotetsu didn't know.

Maverick smiled and gave a nod. "He's aware that this is just another part of the business, he's a veteran in this line of work, remember?"

It unsettled Barnaby a little, finding that he was the last one to know such a thing. He had worried about Kotetsu not knowing that he could possibly be losing his job, but Kotetsu himself made no mention of this news to him at all. Perhaps Kotetsu didn't really trust him after all.

"Are you alright Barnaby?" Maverick asked. "You seem a little pale."

"I'm fine; I think I'm going to take a break as well." Barnaby said as he walked away. His mood had worsened after he thought about the matter. Before heading to his dressing room, Barnaby went looking for one of the building's indoor phone booths. He hated to admit it, but he really needed some advice, even if he was questioning their trust, Kotetsu was really the only person he could ask.

Luckily, not too far from the hallway to the dressing rooms was a lobby with an area set aside for some indoor phone booths.

Barnaby walked into one of the booths and closed the door behind him, took a seat and picked up the receiver. "Hello, operator? I'd like to make a call to the Kaburagi residence..."

Meanwhile, things were a little hectic at the Kaburagi house. With Kotetsu's time off he and Kaede were going to spend some time together at the beach. Kaede was very excited and was keeping a close eye on her father to make sure he was really getting ready. She missed spending time with her father; it could get a little lonely when he went out on tours. He promised as soon as the weather had warmed up enough they could go to the beach when he had some time off. That time had finally come and Kaede was going to hold her father to his promise.

"Dad, did you find your swimsuit yet?" Kaede called from the kitchen as she helped make sandwiches.

"Papa's still looking darling!" Kotetsu called back as he rummaged through a trunk in the hallway closet.

The telephone rang once, twice, and on the third ring Kotetsu rushed over and snatched it up.

"Hello, Kaburagi residence." Kotetsu said, a little breathless from his sprint to reach the phone.

"Old man?"

"Huh? Barnaby?" Kotetsu looked up at the clock on the mantle of the parlor. "Shouldn't you be practicing right now?"

"That's not important right now." Barnaby said suddenly. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"I hope you can make it quick, you kind of caught me at a bad time." Kotetsu said as he looked over his shoulder, checking for Kaede. He didn't want her to catch him not looking for his swimsuit or worse, think that he was going to have to go back to work.

"I don't waste time like you do." Barnaby then went right to the point."You know about Miss Lyle possibly replacing you, don't you?"

"Yeah, Maverick explained a little of it to me." Kotetsu admitted with a small sigh. "But we're still under contract for the rest of the year, so there's a lot of time for you guys to sort something out before then."

"I see, so you're not being replaced right away then?" Barnaby asked.

"No, not that I know of."

Barnaby felt a little relieved to hear that. "When can you come back?" As much as he hated to admit it, he really could have used Kotetsu's help. However, Barnaby's pride wasn't going to let him ask for it out front.

"Huh? What's with this all of a sudden?" Kotetsu said with a blink. "I was told to take one more week off."

"That's too long, just come over, now." Barnaby said in a blunt tone, his time with Karina had worn his patience thin.

"Now wait just a damn minute! Maverick said that this was my time off!" Kotetsu shot back. He sounded irritated by that point. "I'm not just a pair of dancing shoes you know! I have plans with my daughter, so it's going to have to wait!"

Barnaby was quiet for a moment, he felt a little childish, though he would never say so out loud. He didn't think that Kotetsu might have had his own obligations that he had to commit to. It occurred to Barnaby that maybe he might have been taking the man a little for granted. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, it's just that things are getting a bit frustrating on my end here."

"Really? Well spill it already, what else is wrong Bunny?" Kotetsu asked; a hint concern laced his voice now.

"It's Barnaby, old man." Barnaby said with a small huff. He could hear his partner snicker on the other end of the line. "It's the girl, Karina Lyle; she's being really difficult to work with. She obviously doesn't want to work with me; she's condescending, and thinks she knows everything."

Stifled laughter could be heard on Kotetsu's end of the phone. "Is that so? I haven't really been officially introduced to her yet, but she sounds a lot like you."

Barnaby frowned when he heard that. "Old man, I didn't call you just so you could mock me."

"No, I'm serious; you're pretty much the same way, especially when we started out. Sometimes you still are hard to work with." Kotetsu explained. "I'm sure you have your reasons, but with that in mind that could mean that Karina might have her reasons for being difficult too. Have you taken any time to get to know her at all?"

Barnaby was quiet for a moment, letting the words sink in. Kotetsu actually had a good point, though Barnaby wasn't going to inflate the man's ego by saying so. "Do you think you can help with her when you get back?"

"Huh? Why me?" Kotetsu asked. "She's supposed to be performing with you, isn't she?"

"Because, you're you. You're better equipped for stuff like this than I am." Barnaby tried to explain without it sounding too much like praise.

"I guess I could try, but you have to make an effort too, alright?" Kotetsu said in stern tone. "I'm not going to be around forever, you know?"

Barnaby frowned after hearing that statement, it actually bothered him a little. "Yes, I know that, but while you are here the least you can do is be useful."

"There's no need to get cross with me, I'm just telling you how it is, kid!" Kotetsu shot back. It was then that Kaede could be heard in the background calling for her father and telling him to hurry up. "Ah, I have to cut out, I have to get ready. But I'll tell you what, I'll try to stop by tomorrow and see what I can do. I can't make any promises on any miracles though, got it?"

Barnaby sighed after he heard Kotetsu hang up the phone; he then did the same and made his way to his dressing room. Barnaby took a seat at the vanity; he needed a moment to clear his head. He looked at the picture of his mother, father, and him. Barnaby sighed as he let his eyes roam and rest on the folded piece of paper the rested next to the photo, a hint of the mark that decorated it peaked out at him, almost mockingly. He was putting too much focus on show business lately. After all, it wasn't his main focus, he had a score to settle, and show business was just a means to an end. So why was he getting so wrapped up in such a silly thing?

Barnaby couldn't help but think that maybe Kotetsu was the reason why. That man had the uncanny ability to get under your skin, make you care, and want to do a good job. As much as Barnaby didn't want to think it, maybe he was starting to get attached. That could have been the reason why he was feeling so uncomfortable about the idea of having a new partner. Barnaby had to put some distance between them and get his priorities right again. Attached or not, he would not allow Kotetsu to throw a wrench into things and get in the way of his goals.

Barnaby planned to spend the rest of the evening burying himself in his research. He would have to make a few phone calls as well, one in particular to check on a possible lead that he had in Abbas Sanitarium. It was going to be a long night, but it was necessary, Barnaby couldn't afford to lose focus. Not now, not when he was finally gaining more influence and status. While some would argue that politics would have probably been a better route for such thing, everyone suspected politicians. Politicians were corruptible and many were possibly hand their hands on Ouroboros' dirty money. It would be a little too risky, dangerous even given things like assassination. A star was more trusted by the public, especially if they were popular and beloved by the people. They could get away with more, and in some cases could have as much influence as any politician in a city where money was the universal language.

Barnaby would put up with Kotetsu's meddling ways and the stuck up girl for as long as he had to. He was going to find Ouroboros and pay them back for everything they took from him.

-End of Chapter-


	12. Little Lady and the Big City

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 12  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 2514  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM: **Chapter 12 is here!

**Warning: **This is an AU fic in the setting of a more advanced 1920-40's type of era, like how Sternbild is an advanced version of the 1970's. So expect some things like slang from that kind of era and other such things. Also, please take note that the characters are in different situations and living different lives than they are in the show. In this case many of them are performers, dancers, and actors. Hence why it is an AU; so if this kind of thing is really not your cup of tea, then I'd honestly advise not to read this fic. Other than that I really hope that on with the show!

-o-o-

The skies were grey, a thick blanket of clouds blocked out sun, the light occasional droplets of rain, and the distant rumble of thunder warned of heavier rainfall to come. The hustle and bustle of the city continued on regardless, people made their way through the sidewalk. Trying to make her own way through the crowded sidewalks was Karina Lyle. She carried herself with as much pride and grace as she could; anything to hide how lost she felt.

If fact, she was literally lost as well, she had been searching all over for the Apollon School of Dance building. It was where she was supposed to meet with Barnaby for practice; if you could even call it that. The past week had been incredibly frustrating; neither of them seemed to know how work together.

It was just another item to add to her list of grievances since she arrived in this city. Karina's stay in America had not been an easy one. It took a lot to get used to, the slang for one, was confusing, the social etiquette was very different as well. The weight of the culture clash and the new surroundings all left Karina feeling lost and almost small in a way. She hated it.

Taking a moment to stop and get a good look at her surroundings, Karina realized that she had been in the area already, twice for that matter. Did Sternbild really need to be so confusing? Karina then stopped and turned to go the other way, but before she could get far she met face to chest as she slammed into someone.

"Oh!" Karina fell back and landed hard on her rear. "Ouch! Hey! Look out where you're going!"

"I'm so sorry!" said a familiar sounding voice. "Are you alright? Here, let me help you up..."

Karina looked up at the person she bumped into. She was greeted by the sight of a well dressed, lanky man reaching out to her. It was Kotetsu, however Karina wasn't aware of this, she had only met him as "Mr. Tiger" from the night of the premiere. She noticed that he did seem familiar in a way, but she couldn't make the connection because the last time she saw him he was dressed in a formal suit and mask.

"Are you okay?" Kotetsu asked, still offering her a hand.

"I'm fine." Karina said stubbornly. She reached up and took the man's hand, got back up on her feet.

"I'm really sorry about that, you kind of surprised me there." Kotetsu said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Just be more careful..." Karina said with a slight blush, she knew it was more her fault than his, but she wasn't about to tell him them. She then noticed the man check his watch and realized that she didn't know what time it was herself. She had spent a good portion of her morning trying to find her way around to get a bite to eat and find the Apollon building. "Excuse me, but could you tell me the time?"

"It's about eleven thirty." Kotetsu said.

"Are you sure?" Karina said; her eyes went wide in surprise. "Oh no, I'm really late!"

It was then that there was a loud rumble from the clouds above and with it can the sudden heavy down pour of rain.

Kotetsu noticed the exasperated look on Karina's face. "I guess it's safe to say it hasn't been your day, huh?"

"Gee, what was your first hint?" Karina said in a flat tone. She looked like an angry cat by that point, the rain just serving to fuel her irritation more.

"Come on, you need help finding where you need to go? Where are you heading? I might know where it is." Kotetsu said with a smile.

"Hmph! I can find it myself." Karina said stubbornly. She then started to walk past the lanky man.

"If you're sure." Kotetsu said with a shrug. "I don't mind helping, it's a pretty easy city to get lost in." He then started to walk in the opposite direction.

It was after a few more steps that Karina stopped in her tracks. She was already late to practice and at the rate things were going she would miss it completely. "Wait!"

Kotetsu stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"I'll take you on your offer..." Karina said as she hurried to catch up with him. "Do you know where the Apollon School of Dance is?"

Kotetsu looked a little surprised. "Yeah, actually that was where I was heading myself. Are you a new student or something?"

"Hardly!" Karina said with a slight huff. "But that's where I'm supposed to go to meet up for practice."

"Oh, I see! Well then stick with me, I'll take you there." Kotetsu said as he started to lead the way. "It's not all that far from here, it's a nice walk; unless it's winter that is."

Karina gave a sigh of relief, but also felt a little embarrassed at the same time. "What about you? Are you a student?"

"Hmm? Me? No, I teach there." Kotetsu said with a smile, but soon that smile disappeared when he remember that that wasn't the full truth anymore. "Or at least I did, I'm...currently doing something else for now. I'm just heading over for a visit."

"You teach? With those spindly legs?" Karina thought out loud. She didn't really mean to say it, but she just ended up blurting it out before she could stop herself.

"Ouch, you're cruel." The honey eyed man said with feigned hurt, he then laughed it off.

Karina was a little relieved that the man had a sense of humor. She continued to follow him; the rain eventually started to lighten up and they filled what would have been awkward silence with a little small talk. She found that it was surprisingly easy to talk to the strange, lanky man. He was definitely warmer compared to some of the people she had encountered in Sternbild.

"So you've just come to this country recently, huh?" Kotetsu said with surprise. "That must be pretty tough; I was born and raised here myself. I never got the chance to travel out of country, so I can only imagine what that's like. How do you like it here?"

"It's...Different." Karina said unsurely. "It has some similarities to home, but there are some things that leave me a bit confused."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, you seem like a tough girl." Kotetsu said with a smile. "This is a tough city and the country can be a bit wild I suppose, but when it comes to people you're going to have people that are good and dandy and you'll have your fair share of jackasses no matter where you go. Or at least that's just the way I see it."

"You make a good point." Karina said thoughtfully.

"I think you'll be fine." Kotetsu then came to a stop when they reached the next street corner. "And there we have it, good old Apollon."

The building itself was tall, shaped much like the taller skyscrapers that surrounded the area. It housed many class rooms where various forms of dance were taught. Emblazoned boldly in a neon sign was the name of the school, bold and showy.

"You Americans really do a lot to show off, don't you?" Karina said in a blunt tone.

"Hmm? I suppose you're right, but if you think about it, we kind of have to." Kotetsu said thoughtfully. "Compared to you guys we're pretty young, but we have a lot of ambition and ideas. Sometimes you have to make an effort to stand out if you want to be taken seriously."

Karina thought about that for a moment. It wasn't all that different from what she had been dealing with. She was talented, she worked hard, and had her dreams, but sometimes all people could see was a pretty young blonde or just some young kid. Maybe she had a little more in common with this country than she thought.

They then made their way across the street and into the Apollon building and went inside, both appreciating the shelter from the rain.

"Think that you'll be okay from here?" Kotetsu asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine." Karina said with a small nod. "Thank you for your help."

Kotetsu smiled and extended his hand for a goodbye handshake. "No problem miss...Uh, I don't think I caught your name."

"That's because I didn't give it." Karina said with a slightly impish tone. She couldn't help but give a smile. "My name is Karina Lyle; it was nice to meet you Mr...?"

"Kaburagi. Kotetsu T. Kaburagi; and it's good to meet you too." The two then shook hands, but as they did something seemed to have donned upon the showbiz veteran. "Wait a minute, Karina Lyle, as in that girl that Barnaby's going to be dancing with?"

"Uh, yes, I'm supposed to perform with Mr. Brooks, but how did you know that? That was supposed to be kept quiet for now from what I was told." Karina said with a confused blink.

Kotetsu snapped his fingers. "I thought you looked familiar, I met you at the movie premiere for Sky High and the Army of Tomorrow."

Suddenly, it all clicked, Karina mentally compared the man before her with Mr. Tiger and realized that they were the same person. "You're that grasshopper man!" she said with surprise while pointing at him.

Kotetsu blinked, did he hear that right? "Grasshopper man...?"

"Yes, that crude man that was..." Karina forced herself to stop before she said anymore. "Th-that is..." Part of her didn't want to believe that the funny and maybe even a little charming man in front of her and Mr. Tiger were the same person.

"Wow, you really are cruel." Kotetsu said in a blunt tone.

The rest of their trip to the practice room had been a quiet one. Upon arriving they were greeted with the sight of Barnaby collecting his towel and bag and was about to head for the door until he spotted the two.

"You're both late." Barnaby said with a slight frown.

"Late nothing! I came here because you asked me to!" Kotetsu said as he pointed at the blonde. "I'm supposed to still be on my time off, remember?"

"Well it doesn't really matter now I guess." Barnaby said with a slight sigh. "Look, I'm going to have to ask you do me a favor, old man."

"You didn't listen to damn thing I said, did you?" Kotetsu said while one of his eyebrows gave an irritated twitch.

"I'm going to have to ask you to take my place in practice for a while; I just received some news on something that needs my immediate attention." Barnaby explained while he adjusted his glasses. "I'm going to be away for a few days, so I'll need you both to cover for me."

"Now you just wait a second, what good is it going to be if I practice with Karina in your place?" Kotetsu asked.

"Simple, if Uncle Maverick comes to check up on us you just tell him that I asked you to step in and help us with our ballroom dancing." Barnaby explained. "He did tell me that you were experienced in such things, right?"

"Well, yeah...but..." Kotetsu was taken a little off guard by the question. "I haven't done that in a long time and besides, what do I tell him if you're not here? You're kind of putting me on the spot here..."

"Just tell him I left early or that I left with some young girl for dinner, something like that at least. He'd probably be happy to hear that." Barnaby explained. "Just understand that he can't know that I've left the city. As my partner you can at least make yourself useful and help me on this."

Kotetsu frowned, he felt uneasy about the idea. It felt like something that could easily blow up in his face if he wasn't careful. "And that's just it, I'm supposed to be your partner kid; I don't like the idea of being used as a scapegoat."

"What makes you think that I'm going to play along with this?" Karina said as glared at the young blonde. "Unlike Mr. Kaburagi I'm not your partner and I don't appreciate being used at all."

"But I would assume that you'd want to be able to have a good reputation amongst the show business crowd, if you back stab me I don't see why I should work with or so much as even speak kindly of you." Barnaby retaliated with a tone of warning.

"Wait a second Barnaby; don't you think that's going a little far?" Kotetsu asked with concern. "I mean I'm sure we can work this better-"

Barnaby suddenly cut him off before he could say more. "Old man, this is something that is very important to me. You can either be a real partner and help me with this or you're just in my way."

"...Okay, I'll do it." Kotetsu said reluctantly.

Karina stayed silent, even when Barnaby's eyes left Kotetsu and landed on her.

"And what about you?" Barnaby asked.

"...Fine." Karina said stubbornly. "But if we're practicing here then what's going to happen when you're uncle sets a date for the show? Are you going to be able to perform?"

"Don't you worry about me; this is more important if anything." Barnaby said.

"Don't worry about Karina, Barnaby's a professional, I'm sure he'll have things covered on his end." Kotetsu said reassuringly.

"...I hope you're right." Karina said with a sigh.

"Thank you for understanding." Barnaby said as he made his way to the door. Before he left he stopped and looked back at Kotetsu. "I'm sorry for cutting your time off short; I'll try to make it up to you somehow." He then left and made his way down the hall towards the elevator.

"How can you put up with that?" Karina asked.

"Barnaby isn't that bad once you get to know him. He's a really wound up kid, but he is reliable." Kotetsu tried to explain. He couldn't help but think about that night at the hotel a couple of months ago. "I just hope he's not getting himself into too much trouble."

"I hope you're right about that." Karina said as she started to walk towards the record player in the practice room.

"What are you doing?" Kotetsu asked.

"You heard him, right? You're supposed to be helping me with practice." Karina said as she started the record. "So start getting ready so that we can get started."

At first Kotetsu couldn't help but look a little confused. However something in Karina's words and tone had a certain feel of familiarity to them. Kotetsu couldn't quite put his finger on just what it was, but the feeling was there. He couldn't help but give a smile. "Alright then, let's get to work!"

-End of Chapter-


	13. There is Someone Walking Behind You

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 13  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 2858  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** Prompt Fic  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** I am so sorry for the long wait! This chapter had me stuck for a really long time! But I've finally gotten it done! Thank you for your patients! I hope that you enjoy!

-o-o-

The scenery passed by the train window, Barnaby watched as fields and the occasional buildings passed by. He had been traveling for almost two days; Barnaby had recently heard word from a long time informant at "Abbas Sanitarium" that a man connected to Ouroboros had recently died.

The man's name was J.G. Benjamin, a serial killer that had killed over twenty women over several years. He was the only living member of Ouroboros that Barnaby was able to find. And that was out of sheer luck given that Benjamin's trial was such a sensation in the media. At that time Barnaby thought that he had finally found the big lead that he had been searching for. But when he went to see Benjamin for himself at the trial, all he found was a babbling mad man strapped in a straight jacket.

Barnaby was never able to get a straight answer out of the man; all he was able to get was mumbles and ramblings that barely made much sense. Sometimes it would be things like "they are always watching" or "they are everywhere". Barnaby knew that there was something that the man was trying to say, something locked securely behind that madness.

Luckily, one of the nurses in the sanitarium took a little pity on Barnaby. She agreed to help him keep an eye on J.G. Benjamin and keep him informed if he ever said or did anything suspicious or by some miracle ever snapped out of his madness.

But Benjamin never would, he had recently passed away, Barnaby's informant had called him with the news. She managed to collect J.G. Benjamin's belongings though, the man had no family to speak of, so she took the box with his belongings before the staff could burn it in the incinerator. When she got in contact with Barnaby she asked that he come to pick it up as soon as possible, something seemed to have her spooked.

The train started to pull into the train station of a small, rather gray town. It seemed like a quiet place, not too many people living there, possibly the source of the town's income much have come from working for and with the Abbas Sanitarium. It was one of those towns that the young would want to leave as soon as they could, for far grander places like that of Sternbild.

When the train finally came to a stop, Barnaby got up from his seat and grabbed his suit case, he was more than likely going to be here for a couple of days. Not so much because he had to, but more so that he could build more distance between him and "distractions". Distractions like Kotetsu T. Kaburagi. That man had a way of getting under your skin; his meddling was starting to make Barnaby lose focus on his goals. He would admit it wasn't bad working with Kotetsu; working with him on routines was even a little fun. Barnaby even enjoyed the occasional lunches he'd share with him, his daughter, and mother. He found the atmosphere comfortable, more like a family.

Barnaby was starting to grow a little too comfortable with the man, perhaps even starting to genuinely like him. Kotetsu was becoming a distraction, that man's focus was on his job as a song and dance man, trapped under his uncle's thumb. Kotetsu wouldn't understand Barnaby's reasons for entering the world of show business, that it was just a means to an end. To climb up the social ladder, to gain influence, money, and more connections as means of continuing his investigation of Ouroboros and the murder of his parents. Barnaby could just imagine the disappointed look on Kotetsu's face if he were to try to explain such a t thing to the man.

_"Then you're in the wrong business, kid. Go into politics or something for crap like that."_ Barnaby could practically hear his mental image of Kotetsu say. A small smile tugged at the corner of Barnaby's mouth as he climbed out the train and walked on the platform towards the exit. He couldn't help but wonder how the showbiz veteran was doing with their little "guest star", as Uncle Maverick called her. Miss Lyle seemed to be quite a handful; hopefully Kotetsu would still be in one peace when Barnaby returned. He sighed when he realized that he was getting distracted from his main objective yet again. A couple or so days away from Sternbild, show business, and Kotetsu would be a good thing.

It didn't take Barnaby too long to get himself situated in a hotel that wasn't all too far from the train station. It wasn't like the places that he'd been staying at during their tours, but then again, he was trying to keep a low profile. The hotel was pretty old, the room they gave him needed a few repairs here and there, the wall paper was peeling in some places, and on top of it all, the walls with thin so hearing unwanted ruckus from neighboring rooms or the scurry of mice in the walls was yet another annoyance to deal with. Barnaby had hoped that the place would be decent enough to look over things in peace; but he was sure he would end up distracted by these little disturbances. Hopefully the town had a library, nice and quiet; he would take a look on his way to Abbas Sanitarium.

After getting himself situated in the hotel, Barnaby began his trip to the sanitarium. There was a bus that drove out to it; it seemed that when it was being built the town must have asked for it to be kept a good distance away. The bus went right to the Abbas Sanitarium; however the ride to it was long and dull. Barnaby tried to keep his mind occupied so he wouldn't fall asleep. Had he always been this tired? Barnaby had to wonder, when was the last time he really had a break? Maybe shutting his eyes for a moment wouldn't be that bad of an idea. Barnaby adjusted himself so he could be a little more comfortable and closed his eyes. He started to drift off a little, the feeling of ride was oddly a little relaxing, either that or he was just too tired. I was a struggle for Barnaby to keep himself from drifting too far off into sleep. But that's when he suddenly noticed something; it felt as though someone was staring at him. There were a couple of other people on the bus; maybe one of them recognized him? The feeling became more unsettling when he thought he felt the odd presence get closer. It almost felt like he was in danger, still the presence felt like it was getting closer, until it almost felt like it was standing right over him.

A sudden bump in the road jolted Barnaby completely awake; the young man jumped slightly, he took a moment to look around at his surroundings. He didn't see anyone that close to him, he saw a nurse and a young man in a tacky suit seated not that far away. And then, he suddenly noticed it, there was someone sitting right behind him. Barnaby remembered picking this seat because no one was sitting by it, was the person behind him following him? Barnaby wanted to turn around and either get a good look at them or tell them off, but he still had that uneasy feeling. Something about the presence of the person behind him felt threatening. He could practically feel them staring at him.

Luckily, the bus was starting to slow down; it was Barnaby's stop, so he could at least get a look at his stalker with a decent excuse. The bus finally slowed to a shaky stop, Barnaby got up on his feet, turned to leave, and he tried to glance at the person seat behind him. They were dressed head to toe in black, a bowler hat resting atop their head which was slightly tilted to the side. Barnaby didn't have time to take in anymore details about the man without seeming suspicious. He made his way off the bus, it didn't seem like the man was making a move of following him any further. However, he probably wouldn't have to since Barnaby would probably be stuck at Abbas Sanitarium until the bus returned.

Upon stepping off the bus, Barnaby took a moment to eye the bus one more time, maybe getting a chance to catch a glimpse of the man's face. But as he passed the window, the man wasn't there. Barnaby looked over his shoulder to see if he was being followed, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Barnaby started to make his way up a dirt path that lead up to the main building of the sanitarium, he couldn't help but wonder if he was getting a little too close for comfort to Ouroboros. If so, then he was that much closer to finding the ones responsible for the deaths of his parents, but that also meant things would start to become more dangerous.

As Barnaby got closer to the building, he spotted someone waving to him. They were sitting on a stone bench that was under a large, old oak tree. It was an older woman dressed in nurse's attire, she was frumpy, and had a stern look upon her face. Years of seeing medical practice and dealing with the more unsavory had hardened her to many things in the world. Next to her on the ground sat a box, full of papers, drawings, and other belongings.

"It's about time that you showed up." she called out to him. The nurse waited for him to get closer before she continued on. "I was about to throw this out, if I was caught with this I could have easily lost my job, you know..."

"Thank you for holding on to it for me." Barnaby said as he gave the nurse a nod. "If you don't mind me asking, how did Benjamin die? Was it anything suspicious at all?"

"Well, I suppose that you can say that it was a little strange." The nurse seemed a little uneasy with the question. "He had spent years spouting nothing but nonsense, but last month, something started to change."

Barnaby frowned slightly. "Change? How so?"

"He seemed to be becoming more coherent, but only a little, that man was still nuttier than a squirrel." the nurse explained. "But he did a lot more writing and drawing, it was like he was trying to get some sort of story out there, before he died. I think he knew he was going to die soon."

"What was the cause of death, do you know?" Barnaby asked.

"Officially, it was said to have been heart failure." The nurse began. "But it's a little suspicious, out of all the years he's been here; he's never had a visitor save for you. Then suddenly, someone else comes to see him, and he died shortly after."

Barnaby looked surprised. "Are you saying he was murdered?"

"I'm not saying anything..." The nurse said in a warning tone. "I'm just telling you what I've heard."

"Of course." Barnaby said with a nod. "You seem a little spooked though, are you alright?"

The nurse sighed, she seemed to be tired. "You have to understand, if you go digging up such dirty things, they may end up either coming back to bite you or people that you are close to."

"I'm not close to anyone." Barnaby said in a cold tone.

"Are you so sure about that?" The nurse asked. "You can play the tough act all you want, but in the end those that deal with the dark underbelly of this city will find your weaknesses and exploit them. They could go after the people that care about you, their families, and so on..."

"As I said, I'm not close to anyone." Barnaby reaffirmed.

The nurse gave a sigh and started to walk back to the sanitarium. "I hope that you really can back up that claim. Good bye, Mr. Brooks, I wish you luck. Just try not to lose yourself; you're too young have such things happen to you."

Barnaby took the box under his arm. "Does the building have a library that I could stay at? It's probably going to take the bus a good while to make its trip back."

"Yes, usually our students use it, but it should be nearly empty at this hour." The nurse said as she stood up from her seat. She then started to lead Barnaby towards the building. "I'll take you to it, but just remember, if anyone asks you about where you got that box..."

"I didn't get it from you, I know. Thank you for everything, Nurse Maggie." Barnaby said with small smile.

The library was pretty large, it the most decorated part of the sanitarium, parts of the decor inside were semi-gothic, carvings in the walls and statues of gods of medicine and science could be seen in various places. It was obvious where a good portion of the hospital's money went, probably to make it look a little less horrifying to the outside world.

Barnaby took a seat at a table by a large window; the sunlight was a more welcome light source than the dim lamps that would have fueled a headache. He took the lid off of the box and began to sort and pick through the contents inside. Much of the writings were scribbles, frantic and sloppy, almost impossible to read. In some though, the writing was much neater, and there was less rambling.

_"They are coming for me, I feel their eyes on me, I saw death the other day. He came to visit me, to pass along a message that my time was swift coming. He looked as human as I, but I knew, I knew that he was no man, he was a monster. I could see that he carried the mark, the serpent devouring its own tail, the symbol of self recreation, the Ouroboros."_

Barnaby felt a shiver go up his spine, the man's writing then just went on about recreation, the world burning down and being made into a new image; it truly was the ramblings of a mad man. But at the same time, there was something very chilling about it, as though there were some kind of hidden meaning in all of it. Barnaby folded up some of the writings and put them in his pocket, he then started digging through the box again. He found plenty of drawings of the symbol of Ouroboros, much like the one that he kept; others of women, both alive and dead, probably his victims. Then one picture in particular caught his eye, it was of a man in a black suit, with a bowler hat atop his head. His face was scribbled out of the picture, but Barnaby didn't need to see it to be reminded of the man sitting behind him on the bus earlier that day.

It was then that Barnaby noticed the sound of a siren crying outside. Barnaby got up from his seat, walked to the window, and looked outside. There were a couple of police cars arriving; they drove up the dirt road and past the library building. Barnaby backed away from the window, he had a foreboding feeling. He turned around to collect the box from the table, only to find that it was gone.

Barnaby looked around, someone must have taken it when he had his back turned. He couldn't help but think of the man in the drawing and on the bus. He had to be here, he must have been stalking Barnaby. Was he the cause for the police arriving as well? What could he have done? It was then that Nurse Maggie came to mind, had he saw them? If he knew about the box then he most likely did. Barnaby hurried out of the library, he had to find out what happened.

It didn't take long to find the scene of the crime, staff and students were gathered around the taped off area; it was in a more secluded part of the grounds. Barnaby squeezed his way through the crowd to get a look. Surely enough, there was the body of an older woman in nurse's attire, a cloth draped over her face.

"Poor Maggie, she was always a little up tight, but she never deserved anything like this..." said one of the nurses.

Barnaby felt sick to his stomach, he had gotten that woman killed. But then why hadn't the murderer killed him too? Barnaby knew more about Ouroboros than Maggie did, so why just steal the damn box? It didn't make any sense. Was the murderer watching him right now? How long had he been following him? Since Barnaby got to town? Or even longer than that? Barnaby left the scene; he had to get out of Abbas Sanitarium, before he went mad himself.

-End of Chapter-


	14. I Can't Do It Alone

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 14  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 6247  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** Prompt Fic  
**Type:** AU, set in a futuristic early 1900's setting  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** Well, chapter 14 is out quicker than chapter 13. It's also twice as long and yet was much easier to write. Just how that works I have no idea. Anyway, questions, comments, or critiques are always appreciated! I hope you all enjoy!

-o-o-

Music was playing in the practice room, it was a classic waltz piece. Kotetsu and Karina were practicing together as best that they could. It wasn't easy though, Karina was both skilled and confident, while Kotetsu was well out of practice.

Karina sighed and frowned. "You're still off a beat! Are you even trying?"

Kotetsu was a little startled by the girl's sudden comment. "Sorry!" He then tried to pick up his pace.

"Watch it! I almost tripped!" Karina yelled as she tried to regain her balance. She then gave him a smack on the chest. "Honestly! You're completely ridiculous!"

Kotetsu sighed and stopped dancing. "Can we just take a break?"

"Fine! You're hopeless anyway!" Karina said with a huff.

"No need to be so harsh on me, you're going to be Barnaby's dancing partner, not mine." Kotetsu pointed out.

Karina frowned and sighed. "He's not much better than you!"

"No offence lady, but have you ever thought that maybe you're part of the problem?" Kotetsu asked.

"Just what are you implying!?" Karina said while she threw the older man a glare.

"Calm down, Miss Lyle." Kotetsu said nervously. The girl's glare was enough to send a small chill through him. "I'm just saying, you don't seem to play well with other people in general. I'm not trying to insult you, really. I'm just trying to be honest with you on this!"

Karina, still glaring, put her hands on her hips. "Okay, I'll listen to what you have to say, but if it's not worth my time then I'm leaving!"

"Fair enough..." Kotetsu said with a sigh. "Look, you're talented and obviously well taught, but you're too guarded. I get it, you're confident in your own skills but you don't really trust the other people that you have to work with."

"What would you know about it?" Karina asked.

Kotetsu smiled a little. "Well, I had a partner a lot like you once."

"Let me guess, Mr. Brooks?"

"Nope, but I guess you could say he's a little similar too." Kotetsu mused. "No, I used to be in an act well before I was paired up with Barnaby." He played with his wedding band while he thought back. "My partner was smart, pretty, and professionally trained. I had to learn a lot of what I knew on my own, so our styles tended to clash a lot. We didn't get along that well in the beginning either."

Karina caught notice of Kotetsu's wedding band. "How did you two work things out?"

"We were faced with either getting along or having to quit the act. We were supposed to perform in a pretty big show, so quitting then would have meant missing a big chance and getting noticed." Kotetsu explained. "If we got noticed we'd have better chances of getting booked for bigger shows and possibly would move on to better acts."

"So it was for the survival of your careers..." Karina said thoughtly.

"Yep, so we started helping each other out. She helped me working on moving more gracefully and I taught her some of the things I learned over the years." Kotetsu said with a smile. "We made a new routine from scratch and we ended up wowing the crowds. Though, we didn't split up the act after that, we found that we actually liked working together."

"Well, I'm not looking for a permanent act." Karina said with a hint of stubbornness.

"True, but do you think that anyone would be willing to work with you if you can't play well with others?" Kotetsu pointed out.

Karina was quiet for a moment, he brought up a point. The truth was, Robert had been having a hard time with booking her for shows in America. It was why he thought that making a deal to have her team up with a man like Barnaby would help her get noticed. If she didn't get noticed soon, she'd have to return home. "What do you suggest then?"

"Well, let's start from scratch, go back to the basics, and see if we can build a little trust." Kotetsu suggested. "I figure if you can put up with me, then you'll probably be able to handle Barnaby just fine."

Karina thought it over for a moment. "...Fine, we'll try it your way, for now. How should we start then?"

"Hmm, good question. You good with tap dance?" Kotetsu asked.

"I do alright at it, I don't do tap dancing much though, I try to do more subtle dancing, I mostly do singing, and I also can play the piano." Karina explained.

"Wow, you're a triple threat! That's pretty good! I'm not much of a singer, I can play the guitar though, we could start with some tap dance. Would that be okay with you?" Kotetsu said playful wink. "I can teach you a few tricks there, maybe you can give me a few tips on singing better?."

Karina smiled a little and gave a slight nod. "Alright then, show me what you can do."

The next couple of hours were filled with practice, Kotetsu showed Karina a few of his old tricks in tap dancing, she taught his a few tricks of her own. Karina found that while Kotetsu was rusty on ballroom dancing he was actually pretty good. Though she wasn't going to admit it, she didn't want him to think that she was starting to have a little fun.

Piano music was playing from the music player, it was an upbeat tune, an old favorite called "I Love A Piano". Karina and Kotetsu were dancing pretty well together by this point.

"Okay, and turn!" Kotetsu said as they turned together. "What do you mean that you don't do much tap? You're pretty good!"

"Flattery gets you nowhere..." Karina said with a small pout. She was actually happy to hear the compliment though, it was good to know that she wasn't too rusty. Kotetsu was also a little more patient than she thought he was. Though she still didn't trust him fully yet, she wouldn't mind more practices with the man.

"It'd be a good number to do for a show, you could do both singing and dancing for it." Kotetsu mentioned. "Do you know the words to this one?"

"No, but I can learn them later. We could work out a routine around a singing number." Karina added. She had to admit, it was a fun idea.

What neither had noticed was the two men that had walked into the practice room. Robert and Maverick had come by to check on the progress of Barnaby and Karina. Both men stopped when they saw Kotetsu there and Barnaby nowhere in sight.

It was then that Maverick frowned and cleared his throat loudly, catching their attention.

Both Kotetsu and Karina looked over their shoulders, spotting the men, and looked nervous.

"Ah, Mr. Maverick!" Kotetsu said with a nervous laugh. "How are you doing toda-"

"Mr. Kaburagi, might I ask as to what you're doing here?" Maverick cut him off. "Where is my nephew?"

Kotetsu froze, he mentally kicked himself for not coming up with a lie before hand. "Um, well you see, Barnaby asked me to come, he said that he wanted help with brushing up on some things with Miss Lyle and figuring out a good routine to put together..."

"Is that so?" Robert said as he looked from Kotetsu to Karina.

"Um, yes, it is. Mr. Kaburagi has been good help." Karina said with a nod.

"Where is Barnaby then? I don't see him here..." Maverick questioned.

"He's...Well..." Kotetsu tried to think of a good lie, he then remembered what Barnaby had told him. "Well, you see, Barnaby met up with another student from the academy here, They seemed to hit it off pretty good and decided to go out for something to eat together."

"Really now?" Maverick crossed his arms, he didn't seem to believe it.

"Well, you know how young men are." Karina suddenly spoke up. "He's been very good about practice, but Mr. Kaburagi mentioned that he should try to have a little more fun."

"I did?" Kotetsu said with a blink. He suddenly received an elbow to the side. "Ow! Oh! Oh yeah, I did!"

"Yes, which is why we are in this mess trying to put together a routine!" Karina said with a huff.

"Hmm, well, how is that going then?" Robert asked with a knowing smile.

Karina looked away from her agent. "W-Well, it's getting there..."

"Would you care to show us what you have so far?" Maverick asked, he still seemed a little suspicious.

The two performers looked at each other nervously for a moment.

"Well? Go on..." Robert said, that smile never quite leaving his face. Karina had a feeling he probably knew that they were fibbing and found it funny. At least he wasn't saying anything to Maverick.

"Um, right! Let's get some proper music then..." Kotetsu said. He and Karina both headed to the record player to pick out a song. "Got any bright ideas?" he whispered to the blonde.

"Me? Why don't you think up of something?" Karina shot back.

"Well, all I can think of is what we were fooling around with earlier. It's not much of a routine, but say if we were mix things up a little..." Kotetsu suggested. "Not anything too fancy, after all, I'm just supposed to be the "patsy" in the act. I start off with some basic moves, try to copy me or show me up with some moves of your own, and then we try to improvise. How does that sound?"

"I think I get it..." Karina said with a nod.

Kotetsu gave a short nervous laugh as he picked out a record. "I sure hope so, we're in a bit of a pinch here."

"Ahem! We're waiting!" Robert called out to them.

Kotetsu and Karina both flinched a little.

"Well, it's now or never, kid." Kotetsu said with a nervous smile as he started up a record. He then turned and took a few steps forward, waiting for the music to start playing. When it did, he took a short moment to find the beat and started to turn his footsteps to go along with it, incorporating shuffles into some of his strides.

Karina soon followed, her movements were more confident after practicing before. Her steps and shuffles were more dainty as she moved to join Kotetsu.

Kotetsu then hopped into another dance step, his sudden movement reminding Karina of a grasshopper. She couldn't help but laugh a little as she imitated his steps, but with more grace. The two went on imitating each other's steps until suddenly Karina broke the pattern, showing off a little fancy footwork of her own. She offered a small smirk, a silent challenge to the "Showbiz Veteran". Kotetsu couldn't help but smile back, offering up a couple of steps of his own. The two then went into a back and forth, doing a few dance moves from their own respective styles and watching what the other had to offer. Their styles were pretty different, Kotetsu could make use of his longer legs to get around the floor, he had strength, and some grace, but not quite as much grace as Karina. Karina didn't have to worry about longer legs hindering her movement, she made use of smaller steps, arm movements and gestures to add a little more of a feminine look. It was like a playful competition between the two, neither could help the occasional laugh from escaping.

"Hmm, not bad, I like it to be honest. It's a bit rough around the edges, but the idea is pretty good." Robert said with a smile.

"I like it myself, but the only problem is that it's not anything like what we had in mind." Maverick said with a sigh. "How exactly are we supposed to sell something like this to an audience? Weren't we aiming for something a little more romantic?"

"Tough crowd..." Kotetsu whispered to Karina as they stopped for a moment. "I think I got an idea, but you actually have to trust me on this, okay?"

Karina gave a nod, and she soon found herself pulled in closer by Kotetsu, he took her hand in one of his, and placed his other at her waist. She felt a little dizzy for a moment as her face suddenly flushed. "What are you doing?!" Karina asked in a harsh whisper.

"Follow my lead the best you can, if we mess up a little it'll be fine, if you slip or trip, I'll make sure you don't fall, okay?" Kotetsu whispered back. "Let's work on that trust..."

"Well, well, looks like there's a little more." Robert mused.

Karina and Kotetsu started off slow after finding the beat, they took slow careful strides. Luckily, this new closeness gave them the ability to talk more discreetly, Kotetsu signaled what they were going to do next. The pair's steps suddenly moved faster, their steps becoming more of a jig, they then spun away from each other, and performed their own moves. They then made their way back to each other, trying their best to mimic the other's moves, and joined together once more.

Robert and Maverick watched as the two danced across the dance floor. The pair was growing more confident as they slowly moved faster. It was then that Karina suddenly slipped and fell backwards, her hand that was on Kotetsu's back moved to his shoulder and dug her nails into it. Luckily Kotetsu kept his promise about keeping her from falling, with the way they held each other, he was able to pull her back up without too much difficulty. To Robert and Maverick it probably looked like a sudden dip.

"See? I told you I had you." Kotetsu said with a pained smile. "You need to cut your nails, that hurt..."

Karina was a little out of breath after that sudden scare. "L-let's just finish this, please?"

Kotetsu nodded. "Okay, let's do one last spin here..."

They then made a short spin and linked arms, the two dancers then together made a strut to the beat of the music towards their agents, stopped, and took a bow. They could hear Robert clapping for them, they even heard Maverick give a small clap as well.

"It seems like you do have things covered then." Maverick said with a small smile. "I'm a little impressed Mr. Kaburagi. I'm sure that this little routine of yours has Barnaby in mind for dancing in your role, am I right?"

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Kotetsu said while he scratched the back of his head. "I'm just helping!"

"Good to hear." Maverick said with a small nod.

"I don't know..." Robert said suddenly. "Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to have this guy as part of their act."

"That's not what we agreed on." Maverick interjected. "Miss Lyle is supposed to dance with Barnaby, he's the star of the act, Mr. Kaburagi is basically hired help."

"Easy there, I'm not trying to go back on anything." Robert tried to calm Maverick down. "I'm just saying it might not be a bad idea."

"Forgive me if I seem short, I'm just stating the facts. We already have an agreement." Maverick tried to explain.

"No, I understand, I didn't mean to make it seem like I was stepping on your toes." Robert said with a small laugh.

"As long as we understand each other then." Maverick said with a sigh. "In the meantime I'll take my leave, I have some business that needs to be tended to." He then looked back at Karina and Kotetsu. "When either of you two see Barnaby next, could you tell him that I have the show booked for next Wednesday?"

Kotetsu gave a surprised blink. "That doesn't give us a lot of time..."

"I'm sure you have it under control, Mr. Kaburagi." Maverick said while he made his way out of the practice room.

Robert waited for Maverick to leave the room before he turned to look at the two dancers. "Well, that was a pretty good act you both put up." he said with a smile.

"Ah, w-what are you talking about?" Kotetsu said a little nervously.

"Please, I can always tell when Karina's lying; I've been a friend of her family for years." Robert said with a smirk. "I take it that Barnaby's not out on a date, is he?"

Both Karina and Kotetsu were quiet for a while. But then Karina finally spoke up. "He said he had business to take care of and left the city, we last saw him a few days ago." she explained.

"I see, that's a lousy thing to do..." Robert said thoughtfully as he scratched his chin.

"He's not a bad kid, sir." Kotetsu said suddenly. "It's probably something that's pretty important to him. I can tell you he's very reliable. I'm sure he'll be back in time."

"You seem to have a lot of faith in that guy." Robert began. "I suppose that's a good sign, but at the same time, you have to understand that my priorities are Karina and her career. Normally if someone were to pull a stunt like that I'd have to consider pulling her out of the act so her reputation doesn't get tarnished because of someone else being an idiot."

"No, I understand, my old agent would have probably done the same, to be honest." Kotetsu said thoughtfully. "But I promise Barnaby will be back."

"If not, would you be willing to take his place?" Robert asked.

"Huh?" Kotetsu said with a blink. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if by the off chance your partner does not come back in time, would you be willing to take responsibility?" Robert explained. He then leaned in slightly, and spoke a little lower, with a more sly tone. "Look, I know that you two made that stuff up about making a routine, but you do seem to work pretty well together. And between you and me, Maverick doesn't seem to be treating you all that great either. Get where I'm going with this?"

"Trust me, Barnaby will be back!" Kotetsu said with a small nervous laugh.

"Sheesh, loyal to a fault..." Robert sighed. "Okay, I'll trust you on this, and I won't say anything to Maverick. But, I still want to have a little chat with you sometime, fair enough?"

Kotetsu bit his lip as he looked away from the man. "Damn, you're persistent."

"Hey, it's part of my job, can you blame me?" Robert said with a small shrug.

"Alright, we'll talk, but as long as you don't talk to Maverick about this." Kotetsu said with a tired sigh.

Robert smiled. "Glad to hear it! In the meantime, Karina, shall we get going?"

Karina looked up at the clock on the wall of the practice room. "Oh, I didn't realize it had gotten so late! Sure, I'm pretty tired anyway." She then looked at Kotetsu. "Thank you for your help, same time tomorrow then?"

"Oh, actually, I made a promise to my daughter I'd stay home tomorrow." Kotetsu explained. "Technically I'm still supposed to be on my break, and she's not too happy that it got cut short so I was going to spend a little time with her tomorrow."

"You have a daughter?" Karina said with surprise.

"Hmm? Oh? So you're skipping out on practice?" Robert asked.

Kotetsu blinked. "What?! No! I'm not!"

"So you will be here tomorrow then?" Robert corrected.

"Hold on, I just said that I'm taking the day off tomorrow to spend some time with my daughter!" Kotetsu shot back.

"True, but that's no reason why you can't at least stop in for a little practice, right?" Robert said with a smirk. "After all, you are covering for your partner aren't you? So that's double duty."

"You are an evil man." Kotetsu growled.

Robert shrugged. "Hey, just looking out for my client, it's what a good agent does, isn't it?"

Kotetsu clapped the palm of his hand to his face. "Ugh! How the hell am I going to explain this to Kaede!?"

The next day there was a new girl visiting the Apollon School of Dance. Kaede didn't believe that her father had to work that day, she thought that he was lying so he could do other things, like maybe hang out with Barnaby. So she followed him to work. There was a lot of scolding from her father of course for sneaking out to follow him, but she didn't care, she was just as mad. But that anger did start to die down when she saw that her father really was working, dancing with a girl she'd never seen before. Kaede still tried to be angry though, not wanting to let her father "win" the argument. She sat with her back against the wall length mirror, watching her father and Miss Lyle talk, try out steps, and occasionally laughing. But then Kotetsu would spot Kaede the disappointed look on her face and he would become more serious.

"You're dumb, Dad..." she grumbled. She felt a little irritated seeing them together, she wasn't fully sure why though. They were just working together, right? But when they got close, with him putting his hand Karina's waist and their holding hands together, she couldn't help but think of one of the posters that she had seen of her father and mother.

It was then that Kaede noticed the door to the practice room creaked. Looking towards it Kaede spotted a couple of faces duck back out of view. She then moved towards the door while Miss Lyle and her father had their backs turned to see what was at the door. When she was right by the door, she ended up seeing a pair of emerald green eyes.

"AHH!"

Kotetsu jumped with the scream and looked back towards the door. He saw the door to the practice room wide open and and a pair of familiar faces. "You two again?"

"Don't scare me like that!" Pao-Lin said as a hand went to her heart.

Ivan cleaned out his ear his pinky finger. "You didn't have to scream like that though..." he mumbled.

"Who are you?" Kaede asked.

"Two monkeys that like to cause trouble." Kotetsu said with a sigh as he walked over to them.

"It's been a while..." Ivan said as he gave a wave.

"Who are these people? Your students?" Pao-Lin asked while she walked into the practice room.

"You know, I'm working here, can't you guys come back another time?" Kotetsu said with a sigh, but he saw that his words fell on deaf ears when he noticed Pao-Lin and Ivan introducing themselves to Kaede and Karina.

"I'm Pao-Lin Huang, nice to meet you!" the girl said with a smile.

"My name's Ivan Karelin."

"Hi, I'm Karina Lyle, nice to meet you both." Karina reached out and shook their hands. "No, I'm not really a student here, actually I'm working with Mr. Kaburagi's ac-" She stopped when she noticed Kotetsu signaling her to not say anything more.

"I'm just helping out with Miss Lyle's act." Kotetsu explained.

"Yeah, Dad also gets to work with Barnaby too!" Kaede said with a smile.

Kotetsu flinched slightly at when he saw Ivan and Pao-Lin's faces light up. "W-what's with that look?"

"Wow! We thought you got sacked!" Pao-Lin said with a laugh.

"Yeah, we felt bad after hearing about it..." Ivan explained. He seemed a little relieved to hear the news. "But instead it looks like you get to help out the big shots. That's pretty lucky."

Pao-Lin then looked at Kaede. "And did this kid just call you "Dad"?"

Kotetsu gave a short sigh, didn't these two have anything better to do? "Yeah, she's my kid. This is Kaede."

"Wow, she's so cute!" Pao-Lin said while she shook Kaede's hand. "Can you dance like your Dad?"

Kaede looked proud and gave a nod. "Yep! Mom and Dad made sure to teach me when I was little, I sometimes practice with my Dad. I also can ice skate! And I have a big collection of Barnaby's magazines and pictures! My Dad is in some of them two, but I just cut him out of the pictures most of the time."

Kotetsu looked a little hurt after hearing that, he didn't realize what Kaede had said until he noticed the looks he was getting from Pao-Lin and Ivan.

"You're in the magazines?" Pao-Lin asked.

"W-what? No! Why would I be in something like that?" Kotetsu said nervously.

"Because you dance with Barnaby!" Kaede said with a huff. She then pointed at Karina. "So why are you dancing with her? Where's Barnaby, Dad?"

"Kaede, your grounded." Kotetsu said in a flat tone. The showbiz veteran was then pounced on with several questions from Pao-Lin and Ivan. He did his best to answer the questions that Pao-Lin and Ivan threw at him. Kotetsu had one rule that he insisted on when it came to his role in the act. That his personal life and his life in show business be kept separate. Part of the reason was because the role of "Mr. Tiger" was not exactly flattering, the other part was the matter of privacy. Even when he was in show business with his wife, they tended to keep their personal lives private.

"So you're Mr. Tiger?" Pao-Lin said with a laugh. "You're really funny!"

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly a role I like." Kotetsu grumbled. "I'm the "patsy" in the act, I go around acting dumb to make people laugh and make my partner look more "charming" and all that by comparison."

"Really? That doesn't sound too fun, I guess I could see why you'd want to keep something like that quiet. It sounds a bit embarrassing." Ivan said thoughtfully.

"Well, it's not that bad now, Barnaby and I have been working on things in the act, and things are getting better. But I'll sure be glad when this year is over." Kotetsu said with a small sigh.

Karina blinked. "Why? What's happening at the end of the year?"

"My contract will end." Kotetsu said with a snap of his fingers. "I'll leave the act, I can go back to retirement, and life goes back to normal."

"But why!?" Kaede asked suddenly. It was the first time she heard anything about that. "I thought you and Barnaby were starting to become friends! Why would you want to leave?"

Kotetsu looked at Kaede a little surprised. "It's got nothing to do with us being friends or not, Kaede. It's just that Barnaby's not always going to need a guy like me around. He's getting pretty popular, which is why Mr. Maverick is letting Miss Lyle here guest star in the act."

Kaede didn't seem too satisfied with her father's answer. She didn't like the idea of "Miss Lyle" dancing with her father or Barnaby for that matter either. Why was her father okay with everything? This was terrible news!

"So, you're not a permanent part of Barnaby's act?" Karina asked.

"Nope, I'm just helping out until my time's up." Kotetsu said with a shrug. "Maverick seems pretty keen on moving the act along too. Barnaby's out growing what we've been doing lately. We've worked on making things more mature, instead of slapstick, but he's starting to get more attention and being asked to appear for shows. I'm kind of just there, he's not going to need someone like "Mr. Tiger" forever, you know?"

"I see..." Karina said with a slight nod. Things were starting to make more sense, she could see why Mr. Maverick was pushing to get their act on the way, and why Robert suddenly seemed a little interested in the older dancer. "What are you going to do after your contract is over?"

Kotetsu blinked. He didn't really think on that too much. "Hopefully just go back to teaching, if not that, then I don't know yet."

"Excuse me? Mr. Kaburagi?" Called a voice from the door of the practice room.

Kotetsu looked back and saw that it was one of the other dance teachers. "Yes? What is it?"

"There's a call for you in the office."

Kotetsu gave a nod. "Okay, I'll be right there!" He then turned to the others, excused himself, and left the practice room. After reaching the office he went over to one of the decks and grabbed up the phone. "Hello, Kaburagi speaking..."

"Kotetsu...?"

Kotetsu blinked, at first he didn't recognise the voice. "Barnaby? Is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm calling from one of the train stops. I'm coming back to Sternbild today." Barnaby explained, he sounded tired. "Have things been okay with my Uncle?"

"Yeah, so far, so good, but thank goodness you're coming back, he booked a show for you and Karina and the timing is a bit close for comfort." Kotetsu said with a nervous laugh. He then noticed that Barnaby was rather quiet. "Hey, Bunny, are you alright?"

"My name's Bunny...not Barnaby, old man..." Barnaby grumbled tiredly.

Kotetsu blinked and gave a weird look at the phone, he then continued talking. "Are you feeling alright?"

Barnaby rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I haven't been sleeping well lately." he confessed.

"Then how about I pick you up at the station?" Kotetsu suggested.

"N-no, that's okay..." Barnaby said while he shook his head. He then looked over his shoulder, partially to check how much time he had left to talk and partially to make sure no one was spying on him. Since Barnaby had left Abbas Sanitarium, he felt as though he was being followed. It made it hard to sleep and even hard to eat; the gnawing feel of paranoia wouldn't leave him.

"I insist, I'll borrow my brother's truck and we'll drive you back to your place. Okay?" Kotetsu said, it was more of a fact rather than a suggestion. He wasn't going to let Barnaby try to go home on his own if he was in such bad condition, and that was that.

"...Okay." Barnaby said, finally relenting. He wasn't going to say it out loud, but he felt a little thankful. Being alone the past few days was harder than it should have been. With all that had happened, he'd feel better in Kotetsu's company. "I should be arriving at three in the afternoon..."

"Alright, we'll see you then." Kotetsu was about to hang up the phone, but then paused. "You know, you can talk to me if something's bothering you. I know it's not my business, but I'm just throwing that out there if you need someone to listen."

Barnaby was quiet for a moment, the first thing to come to mind was to tell Kotetsu to stop poking his nose where it didn't belong. But instead, the words wouldn't leave him. Barnaby actually appreciated the thought; he wasn't going to take him up on the offer, of course, but it felt good knowing that it was there. "I'll see you soon, old man." He then hung up the phone and started to make his way back to the train.

Later that day, Kotetsu and Kaede were both waiting at the train station for Barnaby's train to arrive. Kaede wasn't letting her father out of her sight that day, especially with him dancing with a lady like Miss Lyle. She didn't talk to him anymore about it that day, but she wanted to try to talk him into staying with Barnaby. Kaede liked having Barnaby coming over for visits and lately her father seemed happier than he was before.

"That might be his train..." Kotetsu pointed out as another train pulled into the station. "Yep there he is, he fell asleep against the window."

Barnaby was leaning against the window next to his seat, he had fallen asleep during the rest of his ride back to Sternbild. He jolted awake when he heard something knocking against the window. Looking, there he saw Kotetsu and his daughter smiling and waving at him. Annoyance quickly melted away into a feeling of ease, oddly, it felt like he had returned home. Not just returning to a place, but to people that actually cared. Barnaby smiled and gave a small wave back, he then got up from his seat, grabbed his luggage, and made his way off the train.

The car ride back to his apartment complex wasn't really talkative on his part. Kotetsu did most of the talking, basically explaining what had happened in his absence, Maverick's visit, and the routine that he and Miss Lyle were putting together for the show. Barnaby found that he could barely pay attention though, he was still very tired.

"You two can figure out what you want to change from there, right?" Kotetsu asked.

"W-what?" Barnaby said as he tried to wake up a little more.

"Karina's a good kid, she's professional like you, but a little more wet behind the ears. I don't think you'll have a lot of problems, but if you guys still need help you can call me." Kotetsu explained.

"Oh, yeah, thank you..." Barnaby half mumbled. He then turned his attention to the window of the truck and the passing scenery. It was then that he noticed in one of the truck's rear view mirrors a black car that seemed to be following them. Barnaby swore he felt his heart skip a beat as he watched it. He couldn't help but think back on the crime scene back at Abbas Sanitarium, and the words the nurse left him with before they parted ways.

_"You have to understand, if you go digging up such dirty things, they may end up either coming back to bite you or people that you are close to."_

"I'm not close to anyone." Barnaby said in a cold tone.

"Are you so sure about that?" The nurse asked. "You can play the tough act all you want, but in the end those that deal with the dark underbelly of this city will find your weaknesses and exploit them. They could go after the people that care about you, their families, and so on..."

Barnaby looked back at Kotetsu and Kaede. The two of them chattering about trivial things, like what they would be having for dinner. They had no idea what Barnaby was into, they had nothing to do with it at all, was he dragging them into danger?

_"I'm not close to anyone."_

Barnaby's own words were coming back to bite him.

The black car behind them suddenly took a turn and disappeared down one of the side streets. Barnaby felt his heart pounding in his chest. He hoped that all of this was just paranoia, whoever was following him back at Abbas was still there; far away from him and the Kaburagis. Barnaby had to be more careful, he had to keep more distance from Kotetsu and his family.

"Hey, do you want to join us for dinner?" Kotetsu asked.

"Yeah! Come over for dinner! Grandma's making something really good!" Kaede said excitedly.

Tempting, it was very tempting. Barnaby was starting to grow comfortable being invited over to the Kaburagi home. Apparently being Kotetsu's partner also meant that you'd have to put up with fussing about your health, if you were eating right, and other such things. And if you weren't, he'd pester you or would do his best to make sure that you would take better care of yourself. For lack of a better word, Kotetsu was a father, through and through. Something that Barnaby wasn't really accustomed to having in his life. Even with Maverick, who could also be considered a father figure, but he was more business, he'd let Barnaby to do as he pleased if he wasn't doing anything related to training and learning for a career in show business. Kotetsu would nag at you if he felt you were doing something wrong, not caring if you didn't want to hear it. Sometimes, even if Barnaby would never admit it out loud, it was a good thing.

"I don't think I can today, but thank you for the invitation."

"Okay, if you say so..." Kotetsu said a little disappointed. "But make sure you get a lot of rest, you look like Hell. And be sure to eat too! You're looking a little thin."

"Dad! Barnaby's not kid!" Kaede scolded him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but we are partners, so I'm looking out for him." Kotetsu said with a smile. "Even adults need to be reminded of things."

Barnaby couldn't help but laugh a little. "You're a good example of that, old man."

"This is very true." Kotetsu laughed. When they reached Barnaby's apartment complex, he pulled over and parked the truck so Barnaby could get out. "It's good to have you back, Bunny. Good luck with Miss Lyle!" he said with a wink.

Barnaby gave a nod, he then opened the door of the truck and stepped out, grabbed his suitcase out of the back of the truck, and said his thank yous and goodbyes to Kotetsu and Kaede. He watched as they started to drive away, keeping an eye out for anyone that might be following them. He would have to be more careful, for his own sake and theirs.

-End of Chapter-


	15. That Voodoo That You Do

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 15  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 4344  
**Pairing:** Hints, Up for speculation, See if you can spot them.  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a steampunk early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** I never wanted to kill a chapter so much as this one. I am sorry that it took so long to update! Thank you for your patience! Here is chapter 15!

-o-o-

Later in the week, Barnaby was still trying to sort out his thoughts. The recent events still had him a little on edge, but he knew he couldn't let it get to him. As much as he tried to keep calm, the paranoia was still there, and it was starting to take a toll on him.

For the past couple of nights it was hard to sleep, either due to nightmares or the feeling that someone was in his room with him. It would cause Barnaby to wake up and search his room thoroughly until he was satisfied that there was no one in his home with him.

One of the things that brought a slight feel of anything normal were the phone calls that he'd get from Kotetsu. They were simple, just Kotetsu checking up on him, or maybe an invite to lunch or dinner with the family; but each time Barnaby would decline. He had to keep the man at arm's length, if he didn't, Barnaby was sure he would lose focus on his goals.

The phone in Barnaby's room started to ring; he looked up at the clock on the wall and noticed it was almost noon, right on time. He made his way to the phone that rested on a desk in his room and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey! Good morning Bunny!"

Barnaby sighed, was he ever going to drop that stupid nickname? "It's Barnaby, old man."

"Have you ever thought that maybe if you stopped calling me "old man" I just might stop calling you that?" Kotetsu asked.

"What do you want?" Barnaby asked, completely ignoring Kotetsu's question.

Kotetsu gave a small laugh. "I was wondering if you'd be in the mood to join Kaede and me for lunch this afternoon. Think you can make it?"

"I'm busy, sorry." Barnaby answered abruptly.

"Oh, I see…" Kotetsu was quiet for a short moment, he then suddenly continued. "Hey, is everything alright? You've been acting strange ever since you came back from your trip."

"I'm fine." Barnaby insisted. "I've just had a lot on my mind recently, that and I've been focusing on practice."

"That's not what Miss Lyle's been saying." Kotetsu added. "She says you've been avoiding practice, you have a show in a couple days, remember?"

"I don't need you to lecture me, old man." Barnaby said, it was clear he was starting to get annoyed. "And what do you mean about Miss Lyle?"

"W-well…" Kotetsu was taken a little off guard by the last question. "I invited her to lunch the last time you said no. It seemed like a shame to let the food go to waste." He explained sheepishly.

For some reason hearing that annoyed Barnaby more than it should have. "Well I suppose you can invite her again for this afternoon as well." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Okay then, I will." Kotetsu answered in a blunt tone. It was hard to tell if he didn't catch the tone in Barnaby's response or if he did and he was returning the favor. "I'll let her know then. I'll try to make sure she gets to practice on time, alright? I'll talk to you later, Barnaby."

Barnaby was about to say something, but Kotetsu had hung up the phone before he could. He gave an annoyed sigh and hung up the phone. In the back of his mind, he had wondered if maybe he had insulted Kotetsu. "Honestly, that man…"

Maybe it was for the better though. Barnaby had meant to try to put more distance between them, especially after the events on his trip. He wasn't sure how, but Kotetsu had managed to make his way through some of his defenses. Getting him a safe distance away was going to be harder than he wanted t o admit.

But it wasn't the time to dwell on such things. Barnaby looked up at the clock, remembering Kotetsu mentioning lunch with Karina. He'd call her and cut it short, after all, they did have practice to do, right?

Later that day Barnaby and Karina were together practicing their routines at the Apollon building. They had been at it for about three hours. They ended up not using anything that Kotetsu and Karina toyed with due to Maverick sneaking in a word with Barnaby. He mentioned that the place that they would be performing would prefer something more "dignified". And so Karina and Barnaby had to start from scratch. Kotetsu originally offered to help in any way that he could, but Barnaby told him that they could handle it on their own.

Oddly, Karina was surprisingly more agreeable than before Barnaby's trip. She was more willing to listen and work together; however she would still make it known if she didn't agree to something. Barnaby found that Karina was outspoken, but also obviously experienced. Some of her suggestions and tips to him were a little reminiscent of some that Kotetsu would give them when they were practicing or putting a routine together.

Barnaby finished twirling Karina; they paused and he then let her hand go. "Good job. I'm a little surprised; you're actually being well behaved lately."

Karina crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him. "Don't talk to me like I'm some dog, just what are you implying?"

Barnaby blinked, and then realized how he must have sounded. "No, I didn't mean it like that." He said while he adjusted his glasses. "I was just saying that you've changed, it was meant to be a compliment."

Karina was a little surprised; she then shook it off and regained her composure. "You have to work on how you speak to a lady."

"You have plenty of things that you could work on too, to be honest." Barnaby shot back.

Karina frowned, she was tempted to stomp on the man's foot, but she stopped herself. She needed to work with this guy for a reason, she'd put up with him as best she could, for now. "And you need to stop letting your mind wander off. You're not focusing and it's showing."

"I've had a lot of things on my mind lately." Barnaby explained. "And what I do is none of your business."

"It is if we're supposed to be working together! Honestly, I don't know how that guy puts up with you!" Karina said with an irritated sigh.

"You mean Kotetsu? Because he was hired to work with me, that's why." Barnaby said bluntly. "It's our job to put up with each other, that's what partners do."

"You almost got us in real trouble, you know that, right?" Karina said as she pointed a finger into Barnaby's chest. She just couldn't stand his attitude. "Mr. Maverick came by and he nearly caught on to your little trip. We had to really improvise to keep your little story afloat!"

Barnaby was quiet and he looked away from Karina for a moment. "I'm sorry about that; it was a very important matter that Uncle Maverick wouldn't have understood. I'm sorry that I had you two lie for me."

"I understand that, but you still have responsibilities here too. The show your uncle scheduled is tomorrow and we're still having trouble with the routine." Karina said with a sigh.

"We'll have it figured out in time, now isn't the time to panic." Barnaby explained.

Karina didn't look too convinced. "I hope that you're right, your partner put a lot of faith in you."

"He did?" Barnaby said with a little surprise.

"Yes, he kept insisting that you were reliable." Karina explained while thinking back on that day.

"Well that's Kotetsu for you." Barnaby said with a slight laugh.

"Well, he might have confidence in you, but I still have yet to see why." Karina said with a sigh.

"Then why bother working with me?" Barnaby asked. "Why not just call the whole thing off?"

Karina placed her hands on her hips and frowned at him. "You know why I can't."

"Then why are you complaining?" Barnaby said with a sigh. "You should just be happy that we even agreed to work with you. You came to us, remember?"

"Why don't you ever listen? You sit there, give orders, and just expect people to go along with it." Karina said as she frowned. "I played along for your little story; but I'll tell you now, I am not a person that takes well to being pushed around."

"That's a little conceited, don't you think?" Barnaby pointed out. "If you expect people to just hand you respect then-" He was suddenly cut off.

"I worked very hard for everything and to get where I am, thank you very much." Karina said firmly. She looked Barnaby dead in the eye as she spoke. "I am not a rookie in this business, so I don't want to be talked down to like I'm some sort of child. I want to be treated like an equal; I would think that's more than fair, Mr. Brooks."

Barnaby took pause, trying to think back on instances where he might have talked down to her. It was true that maybe his attitude might have made it seem that way. Barnaby could remember some of the times Kotetsu had complained to him about it. As much as Barnaby didn't want to admit it, maybe the veteran actually had a point.

"Well, we won't have to work together for long, will we?" Barnaby pointed out. "Let's just try to get along for now, the sooner we can be done with this, the sooner we can part ways."

"Well, you can be sure that I'll be ready, it's you that I'm worried about." Karina said with a small sigh.

The night of Karina and Barnaby's debut came all too quick. The two of them spent the entire day practicing, there were still a few kinks in the routine, but it couldn't be helped. They decided that they would have to improvise where the weak points were and hope for the best. It was almost suffocating, being in that room with all of those people. Normally such things wouldn't bother Barnaby in the least, but he couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on him, people whispering about him. He had to admit it, he was nervous. It wasn't really the thought of the show, it was the paranoia. Barnaby wasn't sure why such feelings decided to surface now, of all times.

He took a glance around the room. It was beautiful, finely decorated with crystal chandeliers, fine china on the tables, and a beautiful stage where he and Karina would be performing. But the feel of people looking at him was starting to unnerve him a little. Barnaby couldn't help but think back on the figure that he thought was following him while he was away from Sternbild. There were times where he thought he would catch glimpses of the man on the streets, only to look again and see nothing. Maybe he was a figment of his imagination? But then, would that mean that he was possibly going mad?

"Hey, they're waiting for us." Karina said, snapping Barnaby out of his thoughts.

Karina looked much different, like Kotetsu, she used a stage name when she was performing. Karina's stage name was "Blue Rose", and she had a look to match it. Her hair was colored blue, with icy blue lipstick, and eye shadow to match. Her dress was black and just the right balance of sensual and classy and practical for dancing. It was a little hard to believe that the headstrong Karina and the lovely Blue Rose were the same person. But Barnaby was reminded of this every time Karina would speak to him behind stage, where she could safely break out of character.

"Come on, they're waiting!" she reminded him. The two of them then made their way to the stage.

"Performing tonight for us this evening are two very wonderful talents; Barnaby Brooks Jr., and the lovely Miss Blue Rose." The audience applauded and soon after the applause died down, the music started, and Karina and Barnaby began to dance for them.

They were graceful together, for most part; there was still some stiffness in their routine. As much as Barnaby tried, it was very hard to stay focused. He couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of being in that room. It was the fact that all eyes were on him that made it worse. While he'd be used to it in normal circumstances, the stress had caught up to him.

Barnaby thought that he saw glimpses of in the shadows of the room or even amongst the audience themselves of the suspicious man from his trip to Abbas Sanitarium. He'd look again to see nothing but the finely dressed members of the audience. It was frustrating, he didn't want to be there, he needed to get away and have time to clear his head.

"Ouch!" Karina jerked against him, she then whispered loudly. "Stop it, you're hurting me!"

It was then that Barnaby noticed that he had one of Karina's hands in a tight grip. The two did their best to continue with their performance, but it was obvious that they were ill prepared and distracted.

Watching in the audience was Robert and Maverick; both men were watching the performance and glancing at the audience. The audience didn't seem all that impressed and more than likely hidden amongst them were critics. Barnaby and Karina were going to be eaten alive.

"This doesn't look good, not one bit Maverick." Robert said with a sigh. "This isn't anything like what we saw before."

"Probably because I suggested they try to come up with something more dignified." Maverick explained.

"Are you kidding me? Why would you do that? And why didn't you talk about it to me too?" Robert said, annoyed.

"No offense, but I wasn't completely confident in your tastes." Maverick admitted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robert glared at the older man. "Honestly, I blame this little screw up on you. Now both our people are going to pay for it, I hope you're happy with yourself."

"I am very sorry that things turned out as they did. I'll admit I could have handled the situation a little better." Maverick sighed. "If you'd be willing to give working with us another chance, it'll be much better."

Robert could have easily said no right in that instant, but perhaps there was a way to salvage this mess.

"I suppose I could let Karina stay on the act a little longer..." Robert said thoughtfully. "But only if you keep me in the loop, and if the three of them are working together."

"What was that?" Maverick said with surprise.

"You heard me, I want the older guy involved too." Robert explained more clearly. He knew a good opportunity when he saw one; all he had to do now was pounce on it. "Look, we'll talk about this more tomorrow over lunch. But I have some ideas that I want to pitch to you."

Maverick seemed hesitant to agree, but he had little room to refuse. "Very well, we'll talk things over more tomorrow."

"Good, we'll talk things over brunch then." Robert said as he looked back at Karina and Barnaby. He winced slightly at the sight. At least he had a little more control now; Robert started to think over ideas of what they could to do soften the blow that the critics would most likely give.

The next day wasn't very forgiving; reviews for the show were in practically every newspaper. Critics took shots at both Barnaby and Blue Rose's performance. Some blamed it on Blue Rose, others blamed it on Barnaby. The articles were filled with gossip, rumors, and little jabs at both of the performers.

In a quaint little corner store, with signs that were decorated with a cartoon snake for a mascot, two men were reading the reviews. It was a rare sight seeing the Kaburagi brothers together; and an even more rare sight when they weren't bickering. But away from public eyes there were plenty of times where the two men could be more civil with each other. Even if they both tend to agree to disagree, at the end of the day, they were always brothers first. The two of them were sitting at the counter of Muramasa's store sharing drinks together. Starting a conversation wasn't exactly easy, so they turned to a newspaper that a customer had left behind to shoot the breeze about trivial topics.

"Ouch, that review was a little brutal." Kotetsu said after he finished reading the article.

"It comes with the job, doesn't it?" Muramasa said while he cleaned a drinking glass.

"Yep." Kotetsu said before he set the paper down. "I just didn't expect the critics to be that harsh on him."

"Chances are a few of them were probably waiting for the opportunity." Muramasa pointed out. "You know how they are."

Kotetsu took a sip from a glass his brother had poured for him and gave a nod. "Yep, they're a bunch of sharks."

Muramasa was half listening by that point; his eyes kept glancing towards the front door of his shop.

Kotetsu noticed and followed his gaze to the door. "What's wrong?"

"There's a black car out there with two fellas sitting inside that's parked across the street." Muramasa explained.

Kotetsu frowned slightly. "You think they're going to give you trouble? I'll stick around if you want…"

"I don't think that's it." Muramasa said, he then looked Kotetsu in the eye. "I think they might be following you, they arrived not too long after you did."

Kotetsu gave his brother a skeptical look. "Really? Come on, why would they be following me?"

Muramasa returned Kotetsu a look that was just as skeptical. "I don't know, but I know how you are, chances are you've found some way to get yourself into trouble."

"Hey! I will have you know, that I have been pretty well behaved lately!" Kotetsu shot back.

"Is that why I saw you and Antonio carrying a box full of squirrels to God only knows where a couple weeks ago?" Muramasa asked.

Kotetsu froze for a moment; he couldn't remember that at all. But then again, he did go out and spent the night with Antonio since he was in town again. He remembered they went out for drinks and eventually things were a little blurry after that. But it would explain why the police came to his house to question him the next day. "Um, well…"

"Anyway, all I'm trying to say is just be careful out there." Muramasa explained. "I shouldn't have to remind you that you have Kaede to think about."

"I know." Kotetsu said with a sigh. "But I know for a fact I haven't been doing anything shady."

That was something Muramasa could believe. Kotetsu wasn't the type that would get involved with that kind of business. Childish pranks and drunken stupidity with an old friend was one thing, but Kotetsu wasn't stupid enough to get involved with such crowds, especially with a daughter to think about. But still, something about the people in that car bothered Muramasa. If it wasn't directly related to Kotetsu, then it was probably related to someone close by. "You don't think Antonio's gotten himself into trouble, do you?"

"Huh? Tonio? No way, we might have both been a couple of punks back when we were kids, but we grew out of that. He also takes his image seriously; apparently he has to in the world of opera." Kotetsu explained. He then took a moment to finish his drink before he continued. "And besides, I know Antonio. He wouldn't risk getting involved in something that dark, he's better than that."

Muramasa gave a slight laugh and a knowing smile. But it wasn't long before he regained his more serious composure. "Maybe it's your partner? Mom was telling me a little about him."

"Barnaby?" Kotetsu was about to denounce that possibility as well, until he thought back on their earlier months together. He remembered catching Barnaby making an exchange with a questionable man in an alleyway. Now that he thought about it, he was starting to wonder about Barnaby's little trip too.

"Kotetsu?" Muramasa's voice had a slight hint of concern.

"Well, Barnaby…He…um…" Kotetsu tried to look for the way to explain it. "He's got his own issues that he's dealing with. I'm not involved in them, but I did gave him a warning."

"I see…" Muramasa said thoughtfully. "Be careful around him, Kotetsu. If he's into something serious, there's no telling if it'll end up getting you too."

Kotetsu frowned at the thought, but he knew Muramasa had a point, though he wasn't going to admit it out loud. "Well, I think I'm going to head home."

"Kotetsu…" Muramasa said in a warning tone.

"What?" Kotetsu looked at his brother, expecting a lecture.

"That'll be two dollars for the drink." Muramasa said in a blunt tone.

"What?! Two bucks?!"

"And that's the discount. Though, I probably should charge you the full price, which is three fifty." Muramasa added before Kotetsu could object.

Kotetsu frowned and dug into his pocket for his wallet. "You smug son of a…"

"Also…" Muramasa said, interrupting him. "It might be a better idea if you exit the store through the back door. Just to be safe."

Kotetsu was quiet for a moment, he then gave a nod. Even if Muramasa was a stubborn, boring, cheapskate, he was still his big brother. And Kotetsu really was thankful for that. "Thanks." he said, while setting the money on the counter. He then made his way to the back door of the shop.

Kotetsu was careful on his way home. He kept an eye out for any suspicious types that might be following him. Kotetsu didn't need trouble like that knowing where he lived. Eventually he made it home and was pretty sure he wasn't followed, though the thought still gave him goosebumps.

"Dad, you're late again! You almost missed dinner!" Kaede called out from the kitchen.

Kotetsu smiled a little, feeling a little relief after hearing his daughter's voice. Hopefully Muramasa was just being paranoid. He then went to hang up his hat when suddenly he heard the phone ring.

"Dad! Are you coming to eat?" Kaede called.

"Just a moment darling, Papa's got to take a call." Kotetsu said as he made his way to the phone and picked it up. "Hello, Kaburagi speaking."

"Kotetsu?" It was Barnaby, at first it was a little hard to tell. The younger man sounded tired and despondent.

"Barnaby? Hey, how are you doing?" Kotetsu was a little worried. After remembering the reviews he was reading with his brother, Kotetsu instantly regretted asking such a dumb question.

"I messed up pretty good." Barnaby grumbled. While usually he wasn't the type that cared what people thought of him, he had to admit, the things that were being said did hurt a little. It wasn't that he never thought that he could be slammed by the critics. But the stress that he had already been going through had been taking a toll on him.

"Come on kid, you can't beat yourself up over a couple bad reviews." Kotetsu said, he tried not to sound too blunt. "Yeah, it really can hurt, but you have to get up and keep going."

"Have you ever messed up a show?" Barnaby asked.

"Are you kidding me? Plenty of times!" Kotetsu said with a laugh. "One time, Tomoe and me were performing at this place that was the Ritz! I actually fell off of the stage and landed right in the band pit."

Barnaby suddenly snorted, he almost laughed at the mental imagery of Kotetsu landing in a tuba. He stifled himself and tried to regain his composure.

"Trust me, I messed up a lot in my career, got a few bad reviews along the way too." Kotetsu admitted. He smiled a little as he thought back on some of the funnier incidents. "Let me tell you, a lot of things are going to hurt you in this business. But you can't let that get you down. You just have to get up and do a better job next time."

Barnaby smiled a little, he actually did feel a little better after talking about it. "Thank you, Kotetsu."

"Eh, what are friends for?" Kotetsu said with a smile.

"Friends?"

"Well yeah, I kind of thought by now we were starting to become friends." Kotetsu said a little sheepishly. "If I'm just assuming things, then I'm sorry."

Barnaby was a little surprised, Kotetsu actually sounded a little humble. Maybe even a little disappointed. Barnaby didn't realize that he hadn't given him an answer; he was brought back from his thoughts when he heard Kotetsu clear his throat over the phone. "We are." Barnaby said without thinking.

"What?" Kotetsu said a little surprised.

Barnaby could have kicked himself. He knew he should have told him that they were not friends at all; they were just partners in business. "I…I have to call it a night." He couldn't say it though. Kotetsu was right, they had become friends. .

"Good night Barnaby, take care of yourself, alright?" Kotetsu said.

"…Good night, and thanks." Barnaby said before he hung up. He then sighed and leaned back into the chair he was sitting in, hoping that he could catch a small nap.

He knew he probably shouldn't have called, but it did help him feel less stressed. Barnaby could keep Kotetsu at arm's length, but that didn't mean that they had to stop talking, right? He knew how silly that sounded.

_"What are friends for?"_

Barnaby smiled a little, he didn't have a lot of time for friends while he was growing up. He wasn't looking for a friend out of this partnership either. "Stupid old man…" he said just before falling asleep.

-End of Chapter-


	16. Change is Inevitable

**Title:** That's Showbiz!  
**Chapter:** 16  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 4081  
**Pairing:** Hints, Up for speculation, See if you can spot them.  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt.  
**Type:** AU, set in a steampunk early 1900's setting.  
**Genre:** General  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** Finally finished with chapter 16! I hope you all enjoy! :3

-o-o-

It was three days after the disastrous show, there were some jabs still being thrown in the papers and on some of the radio shows. But the news of the failure started to die down pretty quickly. It was lucky that Maverick knew people in high places, and worked to slowly lessen the blow before it got too out of hand. After all, too much bad press could easily ruin a career. But it also meant that Maverick was going to be busy for a while, so Robert stepped up to help with the planning for changes to the act.

It was late in the morning; Robert had called the trio in for a meeting at the Topmag bar, having taking a liking to the place while on stay in New York. Both Karina and Barnaby had made it, Kotetsu however, didn't. After making a call to Maverick asking what they should do, Robert was told to proceed with the meeting since Kotetsu's opinion or input wasn't that important to Maverick. So the meeting went on regardless; Robert began addressing the issues of where their performance failed and where Barnaby and Kotetsu's had had its short comings.

"So the idea I was thinking was this, we tone down on the slap stick and cheap jokes, because that can only go on for so long. It's time for the act to grow up." Robert explained. "The three of you are going to be all on a more equal level, the comedy should be more subtle and clever. So you three are going to have to figure out amongst yourselves just how you want to work that out."

"I'm surprised you're giving us that much freedom." Barnaby said a little impressed. "Usually Uncle Maverick is more hands on with such things."

"Well I'm not Maverick." Robert reminded him. "Too much micro management can be suffocating. I can make suggestions but at the same time you have to have some reliance on your own instincts."

"I see what you mean, it makes sense." Barnaby said thoughtfully. "I think I can see why Karina is so independent too."

Robert smiled proudly. "Karina's a smart girl, still young, but smart. You should have seen her when she was a little kid, even then she was such a-"

"Robert! Now's not the time for strolls down memory lane!" Karina said, her cheeks were red from embarrassment.

Robert laughed a little and then took a moment to regain his more professional composure. "Okay, so I want the three of you to talk amongst each other and start brainstorming on things that can be improved on." Robert then slid a piece of paper with some writing on it over to them. "I took some time to study both of your acts. Here's a list that I made on some things that I think you might want to address, it's something to start with, alright?"

Barnaby took the paper and looked it over; he had to admit, though he seemed laid back, Robert surprisingly had an eye for detail.

"Also, though I tried to steer him out of the idea, Maverick still insists that there be some kind of romantic undertone between you two." Robert added with a small sigh. "He wouldn't budge on it, so you'll also have to see how you can get that to work."

Karina and Barnaby looked at each other uncertainly for a short moment.

"Okay, so that's the meeting, I'm leaving the rest up to you three, got it?" Robert said with a smile. "I'm counting on you guys."

It wasn't long before Barnaby and Karina took their leave from the table. Just as the two of them were leaving Topmag Bar they nearly were bumped into by Kotetsu. The older man seemed to be out of breath as though he had ran all the way there.

"I'm so sorry that I'm late, I didn't miss too much, did?" Kotetsu asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"You missed the whole meeting!" Karina scolded him. "What happened?"

"Old man, you really need to invest in getting a car." Barnaby said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, I overslept…" Kotetsu admitted sheepishly. A yawn then suddenly escaped him, Kotetsu seemed a little a little more disheveled than usual.

Barnaby would have scolded him, but he noticed that something seemed a little off about Kotetsu, so he refrained. He doubted scolding would do much at this point anyway. "Well you missed everything; we're just going to have to explain it to you. But really, try to be more careful, this was important. We're going to have to change a lot of the act."

"Well, tell you what, if you two haven't eaten yet, how about I fix you both up some lunch back at my place? An "apology lunch", how does that sound?" Kotetsu asked. "And I'm very sorry, it won't happen again."

"I only had a drink, so I wouldn't mind, I guess." Karina said thoughtfully. Food did sound like a good idea, and she did enjoy the last couple of times she had lunch with Kotetsu.

"Lunch does sound nice…" Barnaby said offhandedly, he then received a clap on the shoulder from Kotetsu.

"Alright, then it's settled!" Kotetsu said with a grin. "Let's talk a little about what the meeting was about on the way back to my place. I already took Kaede to my mother's place, so we'll have the house to ourselves."

On the walk to Kotetsu's house Barnaby and Karina started telling him everything he missed. Barnaby even started going over the list that Robert had given him.

"That guy can be harsh!" Kotetsu said with a sigh as they walked up the path that led to the front porch of his house.

"He's just thorough." Barnaby said as he looked down the list, he then saw a few comments on his own skills that made one of his eyes twitch. "Though, maybe he _is_ a little too blunt at times."

"That's Robert for you…" Karina said as she shook her head. "I think he wanted to be in show business, he always knew the workings of it really well, but he didn't have the skills to be a performer himself. So now he helps others make it in the business."

"I see, so he's pretty passionate about the business?" Kotetsu asked.

"Yes, he is, but you wouldn't know it with how easy going he acts." Karina explained; she then gave a sigh. She could just imagine what Robert was doing right then. He was probably kicking back a couple drinks and chatting with the bar's owner. Karina remembered Robert was really interested in all the memorabilia that was there. "But he really is good at what he does."

"You seem to know him really well." Barnaby said thoughtfully. "He mentioned knowing you as a child."

"Robert's an old friend of my family, when I started out he became my manager." Karina explained. "I was really lucky, there are a lot of sharks out there. But don't tell him I told you that, he'd let it go right to his head."

"Sounds just like someone that I know." Barnaby said as he tossed a glance at Kotetsu.

"I guess some older men are just like that." Karina added with a small laugh.

"Huh? What are you two going on about?" Kotetsu said as he opened the door to his house and invited them inside.

"Nothing!" both Barnaby and Karina said as they went inside.

It wasn't too long before the three of them were in Kotetsu's kitchen, the showbiz veteran wasted no time getting ingredients, washing up, and got started cooking. As Kotetsu cooked Barnaby and Karina sat at the kitchen table, and the three of them started sharing ideas. It was going well at first, though there were some disagreements.

"Where do you think you went wrong during your show?" Kotetsu asked as he served the two their plates of fried rice.

The two started to eat, it was surprisingly really good. Both blondes looked a little surprised after taking their first bites, and happily continued to eat; only taking pause to talk.

"I'm surprised Kotetsu, you're actually a pretty good cook." Barnaby admitted. "What else can you cook?"

Kotetsu scratched the back of his head and gave a small laugh. "Ah, well, I can cook canned soup, make toast, fry eggs, eggs on toast, eggs on rice, coffee, and tea."

"So basically all you know how to make is fried rice?" Barnaby said bluntly.

"Shush! It was a favorite of my wife's and it's a favorite of mine!" Kotetsu said with a frown.

Karina continued to eat in silence, while she had met the man's daughter, it was still a little hard to believe that he was a married man. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of woman she was to have married someone like Kotetsu. Karina stopped herself from letting her mind wander into such territory; she could feel her cheeks become warm as she blushed a little. She then tried to get the conversation back on track. "The problem with the show was obvious, Barnaby wasn't prepared, as simple as that."

"It's not like you were much better." Barnaby pointed out. "You were at a loss as much as I was."

"Well who ditched practice?" Karina reminded him.

"H-hey you two, calm down…" Kotetsu tried to intervene, but his words were lost on the two as they ignored him and continued.

"You're not exactly a team player, Miss Lyle, so saying I was the only one unprepared is a bit unfair." Barnaby said as he adjusted his glasses. Maybe it was a little petty on his part to continue the argument, but he was certain he wasn't the only one to blame.

"What do you mean I'm not a team player? I didn't have any problem dancing with Mr. Kaburagi; he danced better than you, that was for sure!" Karina argued.

"You can't be serious…" Barnaby scoffed haughtily at the suggestion the old man could be a better dancer than him in anything.

"He's surprisingly competent." Karina stated, and Kotetsu tried to hide his satisfaction at her compliment. His amusement quickly sputtered out though as she continued, "If he didn't look the way he does then I might just suggest to Robert he be my partner instead of you."

"Now you just wait a darn minute, what's wrong with the way I look?" Kotetsu said with a frown, insulted by her backhanded compliment.

Barnaby couldn't help but almost laugh, he managed to stop himself, but he couldn't stop the small smile that came with it.

"I'm not going to lie; you look a little sloppy." Karina pointed out.

Kotetsu looked himself over. "I was in a hurry today!"

"That's no reason for you to not change things up a bit." Karina said as she got up out of her seat. She then walked over to Kotetsu and gave him a good look over. "Well, you could do with a haircut, maybe lose the silly looking beard."

"My hair is just fine!" Kotetsu said, starting to feel a little more self conscious. "And the beard stays, end of story!"

"I've always thought that your sense of fashion is a little dated too, to be honest." Barnaby suddenly added, earning a glare from the older man.

"Why are you both ganging up on me?" Kotetsu asked in an irritated tone. "This isn't fair…"

"Where do you keep your scissors?" Karina asked.

"The washroom, why?" Kotetsu said with a blink. But instead of getting an answer, Karina left without answering a question. "How rude can you get?"

"You pretty much walked right into that one, old man." Barnaby pointed out.

"Hush and just finish your rice, Bunny." Kotetsu said with a small huff.

It wasn't too long before Karina had returned, now armed with a pair of scissors and a brush. Kotetsu was about the tell her to finish her own meal before it got cold, but his words came to a sudden stop when he got a good look at what she was holding. Barnaby watched the two with growing amusement as over the next few minutes Kotetsu fled from Karina.

The kitchen gave him little room to flee, so he futilely attempted to reason with the girl. Insisting to her that he **didn't** need a haircut. It was like watching a strange dance between the two with an odd blend of emotion. It was like watching a performance between the two; their movements were almost in sync, as though it were a dance routine. The situation then went from dance routine to a comedy act when Kotetsu suddenly hopped onto his kitchen counter to try to make a getaway. Even though Karina was much smaller than Kotetsu, she had him cornered and cowering like a scared pussy cat.

"Will you stop being so difficult?" Karina said as she pointed at Kotetsu with the scissors in her hand. "I'm not going to perform with you looking so mangy!"

"I promise that I'll get my hair cut by a barber!" Kotetsu insisted. "And I do not look mangy! I just like my hair longer!"

Karina gave Kotetsu a skeptical look; there was no way she was going to actually believe he'd keep that promise. "Why waste the money? Just sit down in that chair and I'll do it, it can't be that hard, right?"

"No!" Kotetsu then looked at Barnaby for help. "Bunny! Help me out here!"

"What do you expect me to do?" Barnaby asked with a blink.

"I don't know! Try talking some sense into her!" Kotetsu explain, he was going back and forth from looking at Barnaby to looking back at Karina to make sure she wasn't trying to sneak up on him.

"Mr. Brooks, wouldn't you agree that our partner would look better with his hair trimmed?" Karina asked.

"_Our_ partner?" Barnaby said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, we're all working together, so that technically means he belongs to the both of us." Karina explained.

"I'm not some kind of pet!" Kotetsu stated.

"And we're partners too, of course." Karina added, ignoring the older man's protest.

Barnaby wasn't too fond of Karina making herself so at home in their partnership, even if she was a new addition to their act, it was only temporary, wasn't it?

"Well, Mr. Brooks?" Karina said suddenly, catching Barnaby's attention. "Would Mr. Kaburagi look better a little more cleaned up?"

Barnaby then looked between his silently pleading partner and the expectant Karina. "…Sorry Kotetsu, she does have a point."

"You dirty little traitor!" Kotetsu almost shouted.

"See? I told you. Now sit down and let me trim your hair, you're acting like a big child over nothing!" Karina said as she pulled out a seat from the kitchen table. "Come on."

Kotetsu took a deep breath and gave a long sigh; there was really no getting out of it. He then walked over and took a seat in the chair, looking miserable.

Barnaby watched from his seat across the table from the other two. He watched as Karina took off Kotetsu's hat and started to brush out his hair. He couldn't help but smile a little seeing Kotetsu winced exaggeratedly when the brush snagged on a tangle. It was ironic, for such a seemingly strong guy he could be such a big baby.

When Karina finally finished brushing she combed her fingers through Kotetsu's hair, she was a little surprised at how soft it was. Kotetsu didn't seem like the kind of man that would waste his time with hair care products, so she expected his hair to be more rough and unruly. Instead she could run her fingers through with ease. Kotetsu couldn't help but feel more relaxed, he did love a good head scratch, he then closed his eyes and gave a small sigh. Barnaby wondered if it was out of contentment or resignation or perhaps it was a bit of both. The pleasant mood didn't last for long though, Karina then placed her hands on Kotetsu shoulders and made him lean back a little more into the chair.

"Okay, lean back, relax, and most importantly, don't move." she ordered him.

Barnaby laughed a little when he saw Kotetsu tense up a little when he heard the last part of Karina's sentence. "So much for relaxing."

"You're not helping, Bunny…" Kotetsu grumbled.

"Stop being such a baby…" Karina said as she picked up the scissors and in seconds was snipping away at Kotetsu's hair.

At first everything went rather well. Barnaby had to admit Kotetsu was cleaning up nice. The older man could feel eyes on him and snuck a look at Barnaby. He was a little surprised to see the appreciative look on the blonde's face; it helped Kotetsu relax a little. Maybe it was all that bad, right?

Then Karina accidently snipped a little too much off on one side. "O-Oops…"

Kotetsu blinked and his eyes widened in horror. "Did you just say "oops"? What did you do?" He reached up to feel his hair when suddenly Karina grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"It's nothing, stop worrying! I can fix it easily!" Karina insisted. She then continued cutting his hair, trying to even it out.

Barnaby watched on, he was actually a little worried as he saw Kotetsu's hair get shorter and shorter. "Isn't that a little too much?"

Kotetsu was about to turn his head towards Barnaby, but Karina held his head in place, keeping him looking forward.

"You're almost done, let me just trim those bangs a little." Karina said as she walked around to Kotetsu's front side. This time she was even more careful before, conservatively trimming at bits of hair.

When she finished she stepped back and looked Kotetsu over. The nervous look on her face spurred the older man to reach a hand up and feel the back of his head. Kotetsu's heart skipped a beat when he felt just how short Karina had cut it. Kotetsu opened his mouth to say something but he couldn't get the words out.

"O…Ou…t…." Kotetsu finally managed to say.

"What did you say?" Barnaby asked, not quite catching it.

"Out…" Kotetsu growled. He started to tremble as growing anger soon came to a boil. His next words weren't with the usual exaggerated anger he'd show when he lost his temper. Instead his next words were almost deathly quiet, but were accompanied with him glaring daggers at the both of them. "Out of my house, **now**."

Neither Barnaby nor Karina needed to hear that twice to take it as their queue to leave. They both hurried their way out of the kitchen and moved even faster when they heard the chair move and footsteps follow after them. Right as Barnaby and Karina stepped out of the house the door loudly slammed right behind them.

Karina was blushing in embarrassment, while deep down she understood why Kotetsu was mad, her pride wasn't going to allow her to admit it. "I don't see why he had to behave like that…"

"Well, you did chop off most of his hair." Barnaby reminded her.

"It was an accident!" Karina said as she blushed even deeper. "Besides, it's not like he looks bad, he actually looks cute with short hair."

"He did, didn't he?" Barnaby said without thinking. The image of Kotetsu looking confused with short hair was a little distracting, to say the least. "If he shaved that silly beard of his, he might look a bit younger."

"Maybe, but he shouldn't." Karina quickly added. "Even if his beard is silly looking he'd look too different without it."

"That's actually a good point." Barnaby admitted.

Soon the both of them paused, blinked, and looked at each other. Were they actually agreeing with each other? Over something as silly as that silly old man?

"You think he's cute too?" Karina ventured.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Barnaby said, not looking at her. "I said nothing like that."

"Me either." Karina added.

The two them soon went their separate ways, hoping that the other was willing to bury that moment if they were.

For the rest of the day Kotetsu stayed at home, not wanting to step outside looking as he did. When Anju brought Kaede home later that night, she almost didn't recognize him when she saw him at first. Kaede seemed to like the change in look. She was happy her dad didn't look so old fashioned or scruffy, she even called her Dad handsome, which helped Kotetsu feel a little better about it.

After putting Kaede to bed, Kotetsu went about his nightly rituals. He sat on the edge of his bed, playing with his wedding ring as he went over the events of the day. He talked about things from Kaede gushing over the latest magazine she got while out with grandma. How his worries of being followed by shady characters lately were making it hard to sleep and made him avoid his usual routes when going about the city; which caused him to miss the meeting with the others. Then last but certainly not least, the hair cut incident.

"Can you believe those guys?" he said with an irritated sigh. He then flopped back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "I know that they were trying to help, but really! I would have taken care of it on my own!"

Kotetsu looked at the picture of Tomoe on the nightstand, for a moment it felt like she was giving him a stern look. Kotetsu looked away from her when he felt guilt start to gnaw at him. Even as a just a picture, Tomoe seemed to have an uncanny ability to draw the truth out of him.

"I know, I know, I wouldn't have really." Kotetsu said in defeat. "I would have just avoided it until they forgot about it."

Kotetsu couldn't help but think back to when he and Tomoe were both young and starting out as an act together. One of the first things she insisted on with him was that he stopped dressing sloppy and make himself presentable. She helped him pick out better clothes, in a fashion that he ended up actually liking. Tomoe even got him to style and cut his usually unkempt hair, sometimes even cutting it herself. Kotetsu enjoyed moments like that.

A scene of one of those times where Tomoe would cut his hair played in his mind. And then suddenly Tomoe was suddenly replaced by Karina and Barnaby was seated right by them, he remembered how nice it felt, having his head scratched and just having the company. But soon Kotetsu shook the image from his mind and then sat up. He frowned, none too happy with their sudden intrusion on his memory.

Kotetsu gave a sigh and looked at Tomoe's picture. "What would you do at a time like this?"

It was probably a silly question to ask, Kotetsu could just imagine Tomoe telling him to stop being so difficult. That the kids were just trying to help and that sometimes change was just a part of the business. That he should stop sulking like a child and actually try to do something to better himself.

"I did over react, didn't I? Do you think they'll forgive me?" Kotetsu looked at his wedding ring as he imagined Tomoe scolding him for acting so foolish. "Yeah, I know you're right. I'll give them a proper apology later."

Kotetsu's thoughts were soon brought back to some of their comments on him needing to update his fashion. He pouted slightly; change wasn't something he really liked. With change you lose things, some things that you can never get back. He could practically hear Tomoe telling him how silly he was being. That sometimes change was a good thing, for both survival and moving on.

Kotetsu tried to ignore the thought of moving on that sneakily crept into his head. Deciding to focus on change for the good of the act and for himself. "But where should I start?"

It was then that Kotetsu remembered that Kaede kept some of her magazines in the parlor. Sleep could wait a little longer; perhaps it was time to see what all the fuss was about with those things.

-End of Chapter-


End file.
